The Curse
by sincerelyLen
Summary: Team 7 is unexpectedly assigned an S-Ranked Mission involving an unsolved mystery of 10 years. An eerie adventure that will test their teamwork, strengths, and greatest fears. Do you believe in Curses? SasuSaku minor NaruHina
1. The Mystery

**The Curse**

_**Chapter One: The Mystery**_

The sun was shining brightly in the Land of Earth, summer's weather hot and dry, with little wind and shade for safe havens from the relentless heat. But it was only so in the heart of Earth Country, for at its border, where the towering and magnificent precipices of rock met with the cooling shade and forests of Rain Country and Bird Country, the weather was balanced and perfect, hot and cool. The forests were lush and a deep shade of green, fresh and calm, where Rain Country's weather offered the welcoming moisture, Earth Country offered the intense heat to feed, and Bird Country offered the beautiful lake not too far away from the forest's edge. Thus was where Earth's, Bird's, and Rain's Borders met, in the form of a healthy, almost untouched forest, with a deep, blue lake at one edge, and tall mountains and deep valleys at the other.

The sun, however, was beginning its decent to the West, lowering itself towards the Mountains of Earth Country and causing the vast heavens to change from blue to a soft pink and orange, while the drifting clouds burst into fluffy flames, red as deep as blood. In the quiet forests below, the sound of footsteps crunching against twigs and leaves and high pitched voices disturbed the peace.

_Thunk. Thunk. Thunk._

Three small but weathered shuriken embedded lightly into the trunk of an old birch tree, the metal dulled and grey, showing no luster at all as the setting sun's light hit its surface. The sound of laughter followed soon after as a couple of shadowed figures eagerly jumped away from the brush and towards the tree, happily taking back the sharp weapons from the aged wood.

"It didn't do much damage Keitaro…" One figure stated critically as he rubbed his chin, examining the small, almost invisible indentations on the tree's bark, "How can you ever become a Ninja if you can't even mark a stupid tree?"

The one who had retrieved the star-shaped tools pouted indignantly as he crossed his arms, mindful of the sharpness of his weapons. Two other figures emerged from the brush as well, eyeing their companions with both curiosity and amusement.

"Watch your mouth Dai!" The boy who held the shuriken threatened, "I may only be eight years old but once I pass the Academy I'll be just as good as Big Brother, and I'll even beat you to a pulp too!"

"I'll believe it when I finally see it!" The other countered as he stepped forward, his wind-tousled brown hair almost covering his eyes from the movement, "Let's fight right now!"

"You're on Dai!"

The third figure of the group gracefully moved forward and stepped between the two, "Now there you two, we came out here to practice your training…Not to pick fights…I knew it was a bad idea to be taking you out into the forests," She looked up at the darkening sky, her metal headband, signifying her position as a full-fledged kunoichi catching the last rays of sunlight, "It's getting dark now and I'm sure your parents are going to start worrying, we should start heading back…"

"But it was just starting to get good Aneko-nee-chan!" Both Dai and Keitaro complained, "Can't we stay for another hour? Okaa-san and Otou-san won't mind!"

The older woman smiled but shook her head, her dark blue eyes drifting off to the fourth and final member of their group, a young girl with long black hair and was silently playing with one of her kunai, "We can come back tomorrow…I'm sure all of you are tired. And Kaya-chan's parents may want her back now…"

And the sun finally disappeared behind the Mountains of Earth Country, plunging the land and the forest into darkness, the stars above twinkling into sight one by one. Keitaro and Dai had immediately gone quiet as they looked around at the darkness and young Kaya shuffled closer to the group, her eyes frantically looking around for sudden movements. Aneko, however, blew some of her hazelnut hair from her eyes as she looked around, a little exasperated.

"I should have ushered you guys out of here a lot sooner," She stated as she snapped her finger, chakra immediately surging there and creating fire for light, "I suppose we'll have to make do…I didn't bring a lantern and running in the dark is dangerous for you younglings, especially since you've never been here before…"

Kaya whimpered as she sidled closer to the teenage kunoichi, tugging on her skirt with clenched, knuckle-white fists, "I want to go home now Aneko-nee-chan…"

Aneko smiled as she pat Kaya gently on the head, "Don't worry Kaya-chan, we'll be back in Bird Country in no time," She turned to the two boys, "I'll lead…Kaya will be behind me and you two will be behind Kaya, side by side…Understood?"

"Yes Aneko-nee-chan," The two answered simultaneously, although their postures were tense and anxious.

Aneko just smiled reassuringly, "We'll be fine you three…Just stay close alright?"

After three nods of the head, Aneko turned and set her pace to the West, following where the sun had set, for Bird Country lay west of the forest. Kaya trailed silently behind, removing her kunai again from her pouch as she looked around, her teeth biting into her lower lip. Dai and Keitaro came after, their senses alert as they followed the little light Dai's sister provided on her finger. They traveled at a mild pace, not exactly a run, but not exactly a walk either.

It was a large forest and all four knew they were probably at the heart of it, being that they had been there training and running around since the early hours of the morning. Since it was also a summer's night, it was quite late now, and Aneko silently berated herself of having not watched the time and letting the children overpower her decision of going home early. Although, she did feel there was nothing to worry about, the forest they were currently in never received visitors due to it being tucked away between valleys, mountains, and lakes. Only Bird Country Citizens knew of it, and only traveled to its edge to pick any wild berries and to chop up needed wood.

"What was that?" Keitaro's voice suddenly cut through her thoughts, causing her to turn around and find out what was wrong. Kaya bumped unceremoniously into her leg and Dai smacked Keitaro on the head as he frantically looked around.

"Dai stop that," Aneko reprimanded.

"Sorry Nee-chan."

"What's wrong Keitaro-kun?" She asked soothingly, her gaze landing back on the eight-year old, who was still looking around cautiously while he rubbed the back of his head.

"I saw something moving in the shadows Aneko-nee-chan," He hurriedly explained, "In the trees…It was flying and coming towards us…"

Aneko frowned; doubting anyone would be in the forest, but to appease the boy closed her eyes and spread her chakra, searching for anyone at all, but finding none, "There's no one around here Keitaro-kun…Perhaps it was a bird or a wild animal…I'm sure we're fine…"

"Yeah, we're fine!" Dai stated as he crossed his arms, "So stop scaring Kaya-chan!"

"…Sorry…" Keitaro responded as he dropped his head, "I just thought…"

Aneko smiled, "It's alright…It's good to be alert Keitaro-kun…Come on…We still have a ways to go before we reach home."

The four turned and resumed their pace through the forest, Kaya having shifted closer towards Aneko, her feet almost colliding with the older girl's heels as they walked. Keitaro was still cautious and looking around while Dai frowned deeply, his eyes narrowed, almost suspicious as he felt the wind pick up around them. Kaya shivered and Aneko put more chakra into her hand to create a ball of fire, so their only light wouldn't fade.

"…It's so cold…" Kaya whispered as she wrapped her arms around her body.

"I wish Big Brother were here…" Keitaro whispered as he walked a little faster.

Aneko grinned as she looked back at her group briefly, "Me too…"

"He's in your Chuunin Team, right Aneko-nee-chan?" Dai asked as he picked up his pace too to join the conversation. Talking was much more appealing than being paranoid about the things that could be crawling in the dark.

"Yup," Aneko stated, "Rai-kun and I make a pretty good team…Too bad he couldn't join us today…"

"…Are we almost home yet Aneko-nee-chan?" Kaya asked softly.

Aneko smiled, "Almost…We just–"

The kunoichi immediately stopped in her tracks and her free hand shot out to stop her younger companions from going any further. All of them looked up at her, surprised and a little fearful to be seeing the woman with her brows furrowed in concentration, her eyes hard, and her posture rigid and ready to strike.

"…Aneko-nee-ch–"

"Shh!" The woman stated as she crouched down to their level, her free hand resting on Kaya's shoulder and the hand with the fire-ball closing up to extinguish its flame, "Listen…"

The three children snapped their mouths shut and followed Aneko's focused gaze, their ears straining to hear what she heard. Kaya was beginning to tremble and Keitaro was fidgeting. Dai however, cupped his ears to hear better against their shuffling.

'_Help me…Please help me…Blood…So much blood…'_

Eyes snapped open in both fear and apprehension. The voice was feminine and eerie and what frightened them the most was that it seemed to be coming closer. A rustle of leaves had Kaya jump up and almost screamed, had not Aneko clamped a hand over her mouth and pulled her against her to sooth the child. Her gaze however had shifted towards where the sound had come from and her eyes seemed to be following a movement in the darkness. Keitaro was afraid to follow her gaze and looked over to Dai, who was only doing the same as his older sister, his body tense and a wrinkle of fear on his forehead.

"What are we going to do?" Keitaro whispered as young Kaya repeated, "I'm scared," into Aneko's blouse.

Aneko was silent for a few moments, one of the hands that had been gliding through Kaya's hair for reassurance, going up to her mouth where she bit down into her flesh and produced blood from the small wound.

"I need to check this out," Aneko whispered, her eyes never leaving the darkness, "Something's wrong and I need to find out what it is if it's going to affect Bird Country…I will summon Torio and he will lead you back home…You will follow him and will not turn back, do you understand me?"

Everyone was quiet but Dai shook his head viciously, "I won't leave you Nee-chan. I'm coming too!"

"Dai!" She whispered harshly, causing him to stop his shaking and to look at her with broken eyes, which she met only briefly, before following more movement in the dark, "I will not and cannot allow any harm to come to you or your friends…Please do as I say…I promise I will be fine…"

'_Blood…Blood…I smell blood…'_

Everyone's eyes turned to the wound on Aneko's thumb which she had inflicted on herself, shivers crawling up their spines as they heard the crippling voice closer than before. Aneko remained calm as she set her thumb to the floor, drawing out three simple characters before muttering a few words under her breath. A small 'pop' followed and in the place of the three letters stood an elegant eagle, wings spread and ready to take flight.

"Torio," Aneko whispered, "You will lead Dai and his friends back to Bird Country…I must see to a problem…Inform Oowashi-sama of my hold up and tell him to send Ninja immediately, especially if I do not return…"

"Nee-chan," Dai pleaded, only to have the older girl embrace both him and Keitaro fiercely, her eyes still trained on the darkened woods.

"Stay safe Dai…All of you," Aneko whispered, her hands moving behind their backs as she slowly but efficiently performed hand seals, "I love you all…But I want you to run…Run fast alright? Don't look back and stay with Torio…"

Kaya nodded her head and Keitaro and Dai remained stiff, Torio squawked with surprise as its eyes caught something moving in the brush and Aneko tensed, "Aneko-nee-chan…We promise…"

"Torio," Aneko whispered, catching the bird's attention, "Mention to Oowashi-sama that this entity is strange and not of normal being…Future Ninja to investigate must take caution…On my signal…"

The bird nodded its head, spreading its wings apart, ready to fly, while Aneko turned back to Dai, "Keep Kaya-chan's eyes closed…"

Dai nodded and took Kaya into his arms, placing his hand over her eyes and feeling the wetness of her tears, his free hand grasped Keitaro's tightly, "I'll take care of them…"

Aneko nodded as she returned her gaze to the edge of the clearing where they resided. Keitaro noticed that her eyes weren't dilated to look far away but focused on something close. The _thing_ was very much near them. At Dai's peripheral vision, something dark passed through the trees and he tensed as he tightened his hold on Keitaro's hand and Kaya's eyes.

"…Torio…" Aneko whispered; her arms still loosely draped around the three, "…"

'_Blood…I want blood…I want flesh…'_

The voice was just meters away from them.

"…Nee-chan…"

"Keitaro…"

"…"

'_Blood.'_

"…NOW!"

A piercing scream echoed in the forest as something from the dark leapt at them, Kaya giving an equally loud scream as Keitaro closed his eyes and Dai watched the events unfold around him.

"Katon no Tatsumaki no Jutsu!"

Aneko opened up her arms and spread them out at her sides, away from the children in front of her as Fire spread forth from her fingers, thin bamboo holders on her arms opening up and spilling oil causing the fire to grow and spread around the group, offering protection. A scream of pain echoed in the clearing and Dai watched with wide and fearful eyes as a dark silhouette crouched in pain in behind their fire barricade. Relief then washed over him as he felt that his sister defeated the creature and they could go home together, but the worst happened.

Through the fire, the figure stood back up and looked straight into his sister's eyes, blood red eyes filled with hate and hunger. Her face was as pale as snow and her cheeks were tinged with crimson tears. Her long black hair covered her features but she started to move forward, into the fire and towards them, her walk angled and unbalanced as she continued to whisper _'blood…'_

Her ebony hair started to rise and shot through the flames of their shield, latching onto Aneko's leg and Kaya's arm causing the younger girl to scream. He pulled for her while trying to keep her eyes closed, before he felt claws on his shoulder, the familiar hold of Torio. Aneko worked quickly, producing a kunai and cutting the hair off Kaya, before making work on herself. Dai, however, had his gaze fixed on the dark-haired monster, whose head was poking through the flames, eyes wide as it continued to stare at his sister, a killer intent in that crimson gaze.

"Nee-chan!" Dai screamed while he was lifted into the air, his hold on both Kaya and Keitaro preventing him from reaching out to her, "Nee-chan!"

The monster's eyes and head snapped towards his call and hair started to rise again to catch its other prey. Dai's eyes widened with fear as Torio flew up higher into the skies, Dai's minor vision catching the buildings and lights of Bird Country, but his gaze was fixed on below.

The hair shot up to catch him and his friends, but a kunai intercepted its path, causing the monster to switch its deadly gaze back on Aneko, who was panting yet standing, ready to fight.

"I'm your opponent!"

"No, Nee-chan!"

"Fly Torio!"

The Eagle gave a cry and Dai felt tears run down his face, his blue eyes watching with horror as the monster lunged through the flames at his sister, the dark hair wrapping around Aneko's throat as she struggled to get free, her kunai plunging into the pale skin where dark crimson oozed but seemed to have no effect.

'_Blood!'_

Aneko gave a frenzied scream as her long hazelnut hair was pulled back before wild ebony covered what the monster was doing, the screams becoming more agonizing and guttural, causing Keitaro and Kaya to cry out and Dai to watch in terror as the hair pulled back leaving his bloodied sister, eyes wide, and skin pale. Then, the monster took her by the hair and dragged her away, gliding across the forest floor in the opposite direction of where Torio was taking them.

"Nee-chan!"

In the trees below, more monsters emerged, some of different shapes and sizes as they gave shouts of glee, following the first and the body it dragged, their dark silhouettes blending into the unknown abyss of Bird Country Forest. They seemed ready to feed…

"NEE-CHAN!"

Kaya cried, Keitaro screamed, and Dai continued to watch as his sister was dragged away into the darkness, tears sliding down his cheeks and into the foliage below.

"…Nee-chan…"

'_Give me blood…Give me flesh…Just let the darkness come…'_

* * *

**A/N:** Okay guys, just wanted to take a crack at a Horror Fiction...So how am I doing? Bad? Good? Well, this story will probably be short just to see how it turns out. Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto will be making their appearance in the next chapter. On a note, this happened a year before Sasuke left Konoha to go to Orochimaru, so they had been 11 years old at this point. In this next chapter they'll be much older, as said in the summary. Hope you enjoyed and I love feedback! Thanks!

**Disclaimer:** Masashi Kishimoto owns them...Not me...Unfortunately...

I will probably update in a few days, since I am kind of excited for this concept and I want Team Seven in the picture. Thanks to everyone reading and/or reviewing. I appreciate it!

LOTZA LOVE!

Luvinukag83

_(Soon To Be Known As **Len83**)_

**Edit:** Sorry, _nii-chan_ means 'big brother' so I changed it to _nee-chan_ which means "big sister", my mistake! Thanks to **Originalatorian** for catching that for me!

**EDIT 5/28/09: **I've begun the revised version of _The Curse_. The first chapter is pretty much the same, just some changed grammatical errors (I hope I didn't miss any) **BUT** Chapter Two will be _ENTIRELY DIFFERENT_! I hope you enjoy this new version!  
LOVES!


	2. Team Seven

**The Curse**

_**Chapter Two: Team Seven**_

"Our first Team Seven Mission in _months_!!! Aren't you excited?!"

Uzumaki Naruto grinned jubilantly as he flew through the forest, feet pushing off with practiced ease against the thick branches of the trees, spiky, blonde hair shifting wildly against the wind, and sapphire eyes alight with obvious eagerness.

"I wouldn't call it too _exciting_, Naruto…One day of traveling together before we split off? Some Mission…"

Naruto's smile slowly faded into a pout as he looked over his left shoulder, catching as Haruno Sakura rolled her viridian orbs with her statement, one hand pushing her waist-long pink tresses from her vision while the other readjusted the strap of the Medical Bag on her shoulder.

"Hn…"

The Kunoichi laughed lightly, "See? Even Sasuke-kun agrees with me."

The blonde-shinobi whipped his head around to face over his right shoulder, cobalt eyes glaring disappointedly at his other comrade, Uchiha Sasuke, who was quietly resuming his calm pace through the trees, dark obsidian eyes portraying both aloofness and boredom. His lips were set into a slightly downward curve, his gaze briefly sliding to the left at their female companion when she continued to chuckle.

With a huff, Naruto returned his gaze forward, pout persistent on his features, "It's better than _nothing_, right? Come on Sakura-chan! Sasuke-teme! You're bringing my good mood down!"

"But it's true Naruto," Sakura admonished as she picked up her pace so she could run side-by-side with her sulking teammate, a smile on her lips, "Do you really want our first Mission in _months_ to be something as boring as escorting me to a small village in Rain before setting off to do a routine check-up in Earth Country with Sasuke-kun? Let's just save the excitement for a more interesting Mission…S-Ranked or something."

"But we're _always_ too busy to do S-Ranked Missions together!!" Naruto whined, his peripherals catching as Sasuke matched his and Sakura's speed too, "You're always working in the Hospital, Sakura-chan!! Sasuke-teme's still getting back in Konoha's good graces!" A snort was heard at his right, "And I'm mostly training to be Hokage!"

Sakura laughed, her green eyes bright as she comfortingly pat Naruto on the shoulder, "Which is why Tsunade-shishou is sending us on this simple C-Ranked Assignment. We, as Squad Seven, need to find our team dynamic again; we're going to slowly but _surely_ work our way up from here. Alright? No worries Naruto, we'll be taking more Missions together in the future; I mean, we're only eighteen years old!"

Naruto's frown only deepened as he directed his glare at the dark-haired male beside him, "I blame this on _you_, Teme!"

Sasuke scowled, glower returned just as heatedly, "Why?"

Azure eyes rolled in exasperation, Sakura watching the exchange with concealed amusement, especially having been deprived of it for some time, "You only came back to Konoha _two_ years ago! We've wasted all this time getting you back in our Shinobi Ranks when we could have already been taking Team Seven S-Ranked Missions! Now we're stuck on boring C-Class!"

The ex-Avenger scoffed, "Speak for yourself, _dobe_. It's not my fault you're slow at things, at least I'm already in _ANBU_."

"Who needs ANBU? _I'm_ going to be _Hokage_!!" Naruto countered with energized challenge, a smirk on his lips, "And when I am, I'm going to _demote_ you!"

Sasuke smirked snidely back, clearly accepting the provocation, "Whatever, idiot."

"Boys," Sakura immediately cut in with a sigh, a small smile tugging at her lips as she watched her two companions continue to glare at one another, even as they jumped effortlessly through Fire Country Forests, "As much as I miss these Team Seven fights, I _don't_ miss breaking them up. If you start brawling, I'm _not_ going to heal you up."

"But Sakura-chan!" Naruto cried out pleadingly, turning away from Sasuke, "We're trying to make it like old times! Don't you miss it?!"

"Of course I do!" Sakura answered with a grin, her stare trained ahead of her even as her viridian orbs glazed over in reminiscence, "Ramen at Ichiraku's everyday after Training, stupid D-Ranked Missions, taking the Jounin Exams together _and_ passing!" She turned her head to glance at her male comrades, smiling when she found both their attention on her, "Yes, I miss it! But we're older now; Team Seven still remains strong but as _individuals_ we're going to be busy, changes _will_ happen."

"Which is _why_ I'm excited for this _plain_ C-Ranked Mission," Naruto responded simply, deep blue eyes turning forward with renewed determination, "We're _still_ Team Seven and _every_ Mission together counts, even the small ones, because we know we won't be getting as many _Team Seven_ Assignments as we used to…"

A small smile lifted at the corners of Sakura's lips, her expression softening as she absorbed Naruto's words, "…I guess you're right Naruto. We _should_ make the best of this _simple_ C-Class Mission…"

"…Hn…"

Naruto beamed, eyes closing briefly in comfort as he felt the wind whip passed his face and felt the familiar presence of his two teammates – _best friends_ – beside him.

"Too bad Kakashi-sensei couldn't make it; he's missing out on all the fun!!"

* * *

Darkness had already taken the land, the sky partially covered by grey rain clouds, the full moon reflecting its soft light onto the quiet forests below. The small fire crackled harmlessly in the center of a small clearing, burning embers escaping the flickering flames, rising into the air before succumbing to the cool winds and turning to ash. The smoke plumed a thin trail above the treetops, however unnoticeable against the night's obscurity.

Team Seven was spread comfortably apart from one another, silent and absorbed with their own thoughts. Naruto was happily enjoying the Instant Ramen he had packed away for the journey, blue eyes trained on the fire as he consumed his savory meal. Sasuke sat at his left, dark eyes trained on his Kusanagi, focusing on the blade as he meticulously polished the weapon, his posture relaxed among his company. Sakura, who sat on the opposite side of the fire from Sasuke, was completely immersed in her scroll, green eyes scanning the scrawled reports, lips curved downward in concentrated thought.

Absently, Naruto flickered his gaze between his two teammates, a curious look crossing his features as he studied the pink-haired Medic, "…Something wrong Sakura-chan?"

The break in silence snapped Sasuke and Sakura from their reveries; the ex-Avenger looking up to eye his two comrades before setting his sights on Sakura, expecting her to answer Naruto's inquiry. Still a little surprised, the Kunoichi glanced curiously at the two males before the question fully sunk in and she let out a sigh, leaning her chin against her palm, elbow resting on her thigh.

"I'm fine," She assured, her response sounding a little tired, distant even, "Just looking over my Mission Reports."

Naruto put down his Ramen Cup, his interest captured as he turned to face the female Jounin more fully, "What do you have to do on your Mission Sakura-chan? Why do the Teme and I have to escort you to Rain Country?"

Sakura shook her head dismissively, waving her free hand before beginning to roll up her scroll, "A Border Village of Rain is in need of a Medic; apparently they've had some casualties lately. It's nothing exciting…Just perplexing."

"Perplexing?" Sasuke asked, obsidian orbs probing through emerald as he watched Sakura's features become thoughtful again, her eyes narrowing as the fingers near her chin began to tap her cheek distractedly, her intelligent mind probably whirring with possible scenarios he had no care for.

Sakura finally shrugged, connecting her gaze with both her teammates momentarily, "Well, Rain isn't in a Civil War anymore now that the Akatsuki has been taken care of…I'm just curious as to why they've called for Hidden Leaf's help…They have their _own_ Shinobi and Medics."

"It didn't say in the Scroll?" Naruto asked, concern washing over his expression, "Is it a good idea for you to be going there alone when you think something doesn't seem right?"

The Medic shook her head, "I don't think there's anything to worry about, Naruto, _really_. I'm just a little confused with the circumstances of the wounded. And no, there _wasn't_ any explanation in the Scroll but Rain _is_ our ally and we won't turn them away if they need help, especially when there are injured Shinobi that I am capable of healing."

"Who sent the call for help?" Sasuke asked, dark eyes returning to his task of sharpening his weapon.

"The Village's Clinic," Sakura answered, moving to pack away her things, green eyes obviously showing her fatigue, "Though I should meet with the Village's Leader…Get some answers. When things don't seem _right_, I just feel I should investigate, specifically when it comes to Leaf's Allies," She then shrugged, "Or maybe I'm overreacting, perhaps they just need more help in the repercussions of the Civil War with Akatsuki…"

"Maybe we should go with you Sakura-chan," Naruto offered, clearly expressing his own growing unease of the situation.

Sakura smiled, waving him off as she began to snuggle into her sleeping roll, "Don't worry about _me_ Naruto, I _am_ an ANBU Medic after all," A teasing glint shined in her jade eyes, "Besides, I'm sure you and Sasuke-kun want to get your Earth Country Mission over and done with as soon as possible."

"Aa," Sasuke snorted with agreement, a frown of disappointment on his lips with his given Assignment.

"I guess," The blonde-Shinobi replied, scratching the back of his neck as he thought about his task, "Tsunade-baa-chan wants me to work on my interaction with Alliances for when I become Hokage."

Sasuke smirked, "I'm there to make sure he won't screw up and doesn't provoke them into another Ninja World War."

"Hey!"

Sakura laughed, emerald eyes catching as Naruto glared at Sasuke, the latter only continuing to smirk, before she closed her eyes and allowed her muscles to unwind into sleep, her mind slowly drifting away into unconsciousness, even as it desired to continue its confused study towards Rain's predicament.

Naruto and Sasuke remained quiet and shared a short, challenging glance before returning to their own musings, Naruto getting ready to sleep and Sasuke prepared for the first few hours of night watch.

* * *

The Borders of Earth Country and Rain Country was a mixture of hot and cold. The sun, high in the sky, was shining heated rays on the land while grey clouds loomed, carrying the precipitation and wet that Rain Country was undeniably known for. It was already the afternoon, the run from the Borders of Fire and Grass Countries to the Borders of Earth and Rain about six hours long, Team Seven starting their journey again a few hours before the sun had risen.

"So this is where we part," Sakura sighed as she eyed her surroundings, the large mountains at her right signifying the entrance of Earth Country Land, not at all envious of the climb Sasuke and Naruto were going to have to endure; at her left were lush, green forests, the path she would be taking to get to Rain's Border Village, "So, I'll see you in a day or two?"

The Medic turned to eye her companions, a smile stretching across her face as Naruto gazed disdainfully at the tall mountains. Sasuke was quiet, his stare aimed at the forests behind her, onyx orbs narrowed with thought.

"How far away is the Village?" The ex-Avenger asked, eyes finally meeting hers.

Sakura shrugged, "I'd say about another three hours. The Village is within Rain Country but very close to the Borders of Earth and Bird Countries," She offered a teasing smile as she ruffled Naruto's blonde locks, the boy laughing lightly at the gesture, "As opposed to the day's travel you two will have to suffer to Iwagakure."

"I know!" Naruto whined as he looked back at the tall mountains, "And without your company Sakura-chan, it'll seem like _forever_!"

The Medic chuckled, readjusting her pack and gazing up at the partially covered sun, "Well, you two had better get going if you want to make it to Hidden Rock by nightfall. Contact via radio when you're within my distance again coming back?"

Sasuke nodded, beginning to head in the direction of Earth Country with Naruto reluctantly following after, the blonde waving sadly back at her, "We'll meet back here in thirty-six hours," He glanced at her over his shoulder, dark eyes completely serious, "Don't be late, Sakura."

Viridian orbs narrowed in response before Sakura crossed her arms at him, "Same goes for the both of you."

"We'll be _fine_!" Naruto assured happily, "Besides, we need to survive for future S-Ranked Missions, remember?!"

Sakura laughed and Sasuke turned back towards the mountains, "Of course, Naruto."

"Be safe!" Naruto called, azure eyes still bright as he continued to wave back at her.

"You too!" Sakura replied, waving herself as she turned her body towards the forests, "And no picking fights!"

"You got it!"

"Watch him Sasuke-kun!" Sakura laughed, earning a playful frown from Naruto and an agreeing wave from Sasuke.

With one last glance at her Team Seven comrades' backs, the Uchiha fan and Uzumaki swirl prominent on their backs, Sakura smiled and faced the green foliage of the forests, emerald eyes shining with determination to complete her Mission successfully as well as get some much needed answers from the mystery that seemed to be shrouding her erratic thoughts of the odd call for help from Rain.

"They have plenty of Medics in Rain Country…And _trauma_ is to be expected after a War," Sakura murmured as she took to the trees, lithe form gracefully maneuvering through thick branches and thick canopies of leaves, "Why specifically call for _me_? I may be well-known in Fire Country but I'm not fully experienced in the field of _mental instability_…"

With a shake of her head, pink tresses dancing around her shoulders, Sakura picked up her pace, more curious of her Mission in Rain Country than ever.

* * *

**A/N:** So this is where Team Seven is finally introduced, and I really like this introduction a lot better than the last, it helps with the plot/mystery of the story. Next chapter, the horrors will most likely begin!! Thanks for reading and hopefully you stay tuned!!!

For readers of _It All Started With _I will be updating AS SOON AS I POSSIBLY CAN. Life is catcing up with me making it harder to update my stories. Hpefully a new update will be up this coming weekened. Stick around. And as for _Forbidden Bonds_ that will be debuting next month!!

_The Lord And The Leader _readers, please be patient, I will finish, just a few more errors and tying up to fit into the ending!!!

THANKS AGAIN FOR READING!! And PLEASE REVIEW!!!!

**Disclaimer:** Sorry, I don't own Naruto...

LOTZA HUGZ!!!

Luvinukag83  
aka Len83


	3. Unease

_**Chapter Three: Unease**_

It was early evening when Haruno Sakura made it to her destination: the Border Village of Rain Country. Getting there had been rather uneventful. Without the fears of Civil War Battles or having any run-ins with Akatsuki or their Base, Sakura found herself easily flying through the forests of Rain Country towards its North-Western Borders. The forests were very peaceful with its healthy-green plant life and the sun's welcoming rays. Occasionally a grey cloud would pass overhead and a short drizzle would occur, but Sakura actually loved those brief instances, because even when it rained the sun's simultaneous shining light made it all the more surreal.

Before she knew it, the Medical Jounin was exiting the thriving forests and entering into grassy plains, small hills in the distance where she knew the Village rested on the other side. The mountains on her right were still visible since she had been traveling alongside the Borders of Earth and Rain and she could see it continuing for miles onwards. She knew that when she reached the peak of the hills ahead the view would be spectacular. While the Rain Border Village would be at its base the Medic realized that she would be able to see the high mountains of Earth Country, a portion of a sparkling lake of Bird Country, and a few deep valleys on Rain Country's side. Then, in the middle of all those beautiful, natural sites would be a forest, supposedly more stunning than the forest she had just traveled through and exited from.

And because of its rumored beauty, it was untouched. It was seen by many but only accessible through Bird Country, whose residents were very particular of its visitors.

With an excited smile, eager to see the sight, Sakura began her journey towards the hills a few miles away, pink hair whipping passed her flushed face, emerald eyes taking in the grassy plain's simple splendor.

When she finally reached the hill and climbed to its peak, Sakura stopped, her form going tense and her smooth face flickering with various emotions; surprise, confusion, and dread.

Because the scene she saw before her was _nothing_ like she imagined.

"Kami…" Sakura breathed; her jade eyes wide.

The skies almost seemed darker, more foreboding as more clouds, thicker and greyer than the ones she saw earlier, covered the area, making it impossible for sunlight to enter, leaving the land in a gloom. The forest connecting Rain, Bird, and Earth Country was still very much green, healthy even to Sakura's eyes, but the atmosphere around it was far from inviting. The thick canopies of its trees made the forest look more shadowed than it was. And a mist was weaving through the area, obscuring Sakura's view from witnessing Bird Country's lake or the farther mountains of Earth Country.

However, more terrible than the awful and completely opposite expectation of the weather, Sakura's gaze trailed downward towards the Border Village, her eyes narrowing when she caught no signs of movement, no signs of people, no signs of any type of occupancy or liveliness. The Village seemed dead, the ominous mist coating the ground, slithering through the abandoned streets, stray materials shifting negligently in the wind.

"What happened…?" Sakura whispered disbelievingly, her hand unconsciously moving towards her waist, fingering a kunai as her body fell into a defensive and analyzing stance, chakra moving out cautiously, eyes darting around for any signs of danger.

Her free hand absently fingered her radio, silently cursing the fact that she was out of communication range of Sasuke and Naruto and that her intuition the night before had been – _unfortunately _– right. As a kunoichi of the Hidden Leaf, Sakura had an obligation to find out what happened and report it immediately back to her Shishou. Add to the reality that there could be survivors from a possible attack, Sakura needed to check things out, even if to satisfy her own burning curiosity from what had occurred to a seemingly harmless village.

Cautiously, Sakura began her trek towards the Border Town, her feet light as she walked down the hill's slope, ready to dodge or curve into action at the slightest of movements, senses heightened as she walked deeper and deeper into the thick fog, eyesight adjusting to the dense mist. Removing a kunai from her thigh holster, Sakura's other hand absently made sure that her weapons' summoning scroll was in reachable access, just in case she had to resort to bigger and more effective arsenal.

When she reached the gates of the Border Town Sakura stopped in her advance, observing her surroundings thoughtfully, tactically, emerald eyes noticing that she could only see about twenty feet ahead of her. She could easily make out buildings and other structures but the mist could act as a cover to those that were hiding, making her an easy target.

Brows furrowed, Sakura took a single step forward, only to feel her foot sink against the ground and causing her to stop in her progression again. Looking down, Sakura easily recognized tracks, the damp soil from the fog making the tracks more prominent. Kneeling down, Sakura touched the wet dirt, following the lined trails that the wheels of carts made. Among the cart tracks were footprints and they were leading into the Town. However, taking a closer look at the position of the footprints, Sakura found they were, actually, _leaving_ the Village.

"And recent…" Sakura muttered, since the trails were still clearly visible, standing up and continuing on once more into the Town and onto the Main Street, "…Does that mean this Village _evacuated_? But why?"

Flicking her gaze to the Mission Scroll at her belt, Sakura's contemplative frown deepened.

"Who sent the call for help then?" Sakura whispered to herself, "Why was Hidden Leaf not informed? What _happened_ here?"

A clatter of movement sounded at Sakura's right and the Kunoichi immediately jumped away in the opposite direction, kunai knife held up in defense as she searched for the origin of the crash, emerald eyes trying to scan through the mist.

"Hello?" Sakura called out as strongly as she could, despite the rapid rate of her alarmed heart, "Who's there?!"

Silence greeted her.

With a frown, Sakura took a tentative step forward; in the direction she was sure the sound came from, chakra fanning out for any other life-signs. Jade eyes narrowed as the mist shifted in the wind, the grip on her weapon tightening as she made out the silhouette of a simple house. As she came closer to the building, her heart slowed to regularity when she recognized a window shutter that had fallen from its hinges and hung harmlessly against the wall, the wind causing it to bump against the structure periodically.

Sighing, Sakura lowered her weapon slightly, eyeing the shutter with contempt before backing away and continuing on the Main Street of the Town. If she was lucky, perhaps she could find the Clinic or Administrations Center of the Village and find out what happened. Since it was a Civilian Town, _nothing_ like what Amegakure no Sato was – filled with _Shinobi_ who were capable of fixing what could have happened – maybe she could find documents their Village Leader may have kept that would explain the sudden evacuation.

Maybe she could find out _who_ called for her specific help only to leave without informing her…

Looking up at the sky, Sakura frowned when she caught no sight of the sun. By her estimates the day would end in a few hours and the Village would soon be plunged in complete darkness. Since there was no immediate Village nearby she would just have to stay the night in one of the abandoned houses. It was better than staying in the cold mists or even out on the forest floor.

Until then, however, she would have to find some answers…

* * *

At night, Iwagakure no Sato was alive and bustling, lamps shining on the busy streets and people happily enjoying the warm temperatures that Earth Country provided. With its tall precipices and rocky terrain, visitors were astonished by the sheer size and beauty of Hidden Rock, its Village carved into the cliff face and providing a spectacular view of the vast lands surrounding it. The humidity was different to the visiting Leaf Ninja, especially at night, used to the cooling breezes of Konohagakure no Sato. However, they were not unsettled by the busy and loud activity of the local Shinobi and Civilians, Hidden Leaf also known for its enjoyable late-night festivities.

"You know," Naruto grinned, blue eyes excitedly locked onto the various booths set up around him and his companion as they walked towards Hidden Rock's Administration Building, "We made pretty good time Sasuke-teme. And just in time for the fun too!"

Obsidian eyes rolled, a scowl crossing over the ex-Avenger's features as he was bumped by several people in the growing crowds, "We're not here for fun, _dobe_."

Naruto pouted, glaring lightly at the Uchiha's back before longingly looking around again, eyeing the booths giving off savory smelling aromas as he removed his orange and black jacket, hot from the unusual night temperature. However, it was a lot better than hours before, when he and Sasuke had been climbing mountains and crossing endless plains of rocky land under the scorching sun. Even Sunagakure no Sato's deserts in Wind Country weren't as blistering. Naruto thought he was going to _die_!

"This shouldn't take long," Sasuke muttered as they climbed the various slopes of the mountain towards the top, where they knew the Administration's Building and Tsuchikage's Office was, "Just check-in with them and _don't_ cause any trouble."

Naruto scoffed, slinging his jacket over one shoulder before putting is hands behind his head, walking leisurely behind Sasuke, venturing further away from the rambunctious crowds, "Yeah, yeah. I know what to do."

"I would hope," Sasuke muttered sarcastically, annoyance etched onto his handsome features.

Naruto narrowed his gaze on Sasuke's back, a sudden mischievous attitude taking over him, "Why are you in such a hurry Teme? We still need to meet up with Sakura-chan _tomorrow_ anyway," He grinned suddenly and waggled his brows, even if the Sharingan-User couldn't see, "What? Can't wait to see Sakura-chan again? Do you _miss_ her?"

Sasuke scoffed, glancing over his shoulder at the smirking blonde, dark eyes narrowed with annoyance, "No, _dobe_. I just don't want to be _alone_ in _your_ company any more than I have to. The sooner you finish, the sooner I can get home and take on more serious Missions."

Naruto frowned, picking up his pace to walk beside his best friend so he could see his dampened mood, "Hey! This _is_ serious! It's part of my Hokage Training!"

"_Your_ training," Sasuke pointed out obviously, "Not _mine_."

"Of course this is _your_ training too, Teme," Naruto jeered, his sapphire eyes catching the formal guards standing at the entrance of the Tsuchikage's Tower, "Remember, I'm _demoting_ you…I think I like the sound of 'Sasuke-Teme: Rokudaime Hokage Naruto's Man-Slave'."

The blonde-shinobi fell into a fit of amused guffaws only to be abruptly stopped by a smack to the head, courtesy of the scowling Uchiha. Grinning snidely, Naruto only strode ahead with complete confidence, tipping his hitae-ate and flashing a Scroll and its Hidden Leaf Seal from his belt earning a scrutinizing stare from the guards and a roll of obsidian orbs from Sasuke.

"Uzumaki Naruto of the Hidden Leaf Village," The self-proclaimed Future Hokage announced proudly, the grin still stretching across his lips, "Here by orders of the Godaime Hokage, Tsunade, on Alliance Inspection and an Appointment with your Tsuchikage."

After further inspection of the Mission Scroll Naruto had produced, the guard nodded his head, stepping aside to allow Naruto and Sasuke through, only to follow in their steps, as was their protocol. The Tsuchikage's Tower was very elaborately made, with winding staircases and cavernous rooms, obviously made by Earth Style Jutsu. When the visiting Leaf Ninja reached the top of the spiraling cone Tower, they were met with arching, ornate doors similar to that of the Hokage's Office.

The entryway opened with a rumble, the stone surfaces shifting against one another and revealing a very spacious Office, complete with a desk and wall-length windows that overlooked the vast lands of Earth Country, as well as the beautiful night lights of Iwagakure no Sato below.

Naruto and Sasuke quietly stepped through, observing their surroundings idly yet still aware of any potential threat towards them. Unlike the Hokage's Office, the room they were standing in was marginally neater. Scrolls and documents were carefully organized and not a single Sake Bottle was in sight. Professionally, Naruto and Sasuke took firm stands a few feet from the Earth Leader's desk, sapphire and obsidian eyes silently analyzing the motionless figure faced away from them, presumably observing Iwagakure no Sato's nighttime activities through the large window.

"So you've finally arrived Uzumaki Naruto…" The deep, gruff voice stated simply, his large figure unmoving, "I've awaited the day to meet you. Tsunade-hime and Kazekage-sama have spoken very highly of you."

A large smile spread across Naruto's face, his left hand rubbing through the back of his spiky-blonde head in embarrassment, "The pleasure's all mine, Tsuchikage-sama."

"Many stories of your adventures have reached me and my Land," The man continued, his voice reverberating strongly throughout the room, "You have defeated many strong foes. I am honored by your presence and look forward to witnessing the rest of your Ninja Career."

While Naruto laughed awkwardly at the praise, Sasuke rolled his eyes slightly. Although Naruto was a very talented shinobi and deserved the attention, the Uchiha Avenger wanted to get the Mission over with. Diplomatic Meetings were never his favorite Assignments. Obsidian eyes curiously locked onto the Tsuchikage's back, noting the powerful chakra signature, as was expected from a Hidden Village's Kage. If he recalled correctly, this Tsuchikage had only come into the Kage position several years ago, yet he was a dedicated and rational Leader which ultimately led to the end of Fire Country's and Earth Country's conflict and thus a powerful Alliance was formed.

"Was your journey here without trouble?" The Tsuchikage asked, finally turning to face them, sharp auburn eyes easily connecting with sapphire and onyx, "Summer days in Earth Country can prove to be quite sweltering."

Naruto laughed, puffing up his chest all the while, grin still on his face, "No trouble at all Tsuchikage-sama! Sasuke and I can certainly handle the heat!"

The man chuckled, a deep resonating sound that came from the throat, amused as he turned to fully face the two Hidden Leaf Jounins, who bowed in respect. He was a much older man than Sasuke and Naruto, possibly a little older than their Sensei, Hatake Kakashi, but the air around him made him seem a lot older and wiser. Compared to Tsunade and Gaara as Kage, he _looked_ the part, adorning battle scars on his face and arms indicating the amount of battles he had seen in his time. With broad shoulders and substantially taller than Sasuke and Naruto, he was a very foreboding and intimidating figure. Yet with gentle russet eyes and his carefree laugh, Naruto and Sasuke couldn't help but feel comfortable around him, their tense shoulders going slack.

"It's good to know Hidden Leaf Shinobi can handle it," The Kage responded easily, the smile still on his lips as he took a seat at his desk, gaze trailing towards Sasuke, "…And Sasuke you say? Uchiha Sasuke? I've heard many tales about you too."

Sasuke stiffened slightly. Perhaps his presence was a bad decision on the Hokage's part. Would his attendance there prove to be their downfall because of his past: a former traitor of the Hidden Leaf and a former Member of the Akatsuki Organization? Steadily, Sasuke lifted his gaze, surprised to find the Tsuchikage silently studying him, the same gentle smile on his lips.

Reassuringly, Naruto slapped Sasuke on the back, earning an annoyed grunt from the ex-Avenger, "Sasuke is–"

"A very talented Shinobi also," The older male interrupted with a smirk, Sasuke staring at him warily, "A _Redeemer_. I am also honored by the presence of the Ninja who helped take out the Akatsuki _and_ rid Earth Country of its own traitor, Deidara."

Naruto grinned and Sasuke stiffly nodded his head, still a little surprised with the clear acceptance. Most of the time, Sasuke would be scorned and belittled for his actions, never _praised_.

The Tsuchikage smirked again, looking around the room with amusement, the scars on his cheeks shifting from his movements, "It would make my day if I met with the rest of the renowned Team Seven Squad of Konohagakure no Sato. Is Hatake Kakashi here? How about Haruno Sakura?"

"Sorry Tsuchikage-sama," Naruto replied apologetically, "Kakashi-sensei had his own Missions to complete and we escorted Sakura-chan to a Medical Mission just this morning…"

"Ah I see…" The man responded with slight disappointment, although spirits not low, "As is to be expected with the great Copy-Cat Ninja Kakashi and one of Fire Country's Best Medics…Although perhaps they could someday make a visit here…I believe Sakura-san's Medical Knowledge will prove useful to our rookie _and_ elite Medics of Hidden Rock. We used to have a very talented Medical Shinobi in Iwagakure a few years ago, but War took his life…We never found his body and all Medical Familiarity we had was lost with him…" His statement ended with a solemn frown.

Naruto grinned, holding up a determined fist, eyes bright with reassurance, "I'm sure Tsunade-baa-chan and Sakura-chan will help you out! What are Allies for anyway? Maybe Sakura-chan can even make a visit after her Mission!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes again, not at all liking the prospect of traveling the hot terrain of Earth Country _again_.

Seeing Sasuke's exasperation, the Tsuchikage laughed, holding his hand up to calm Naruto's excitement, "Perhaps another time Naruto. I'm sure Sakura-san will want to rest before making such an unexpected trip. And I believe Sasuke-san may have his own plans also."

"She's not far away!" Naruto answered with enthusiasm, feeling very at ease with the Kage's presence and eager to gain some knowledge about Kage Leadership from him – the _more_ to learn the _better_, "And who cares about Sasuke?" A glare from the Uchiha and another amused chuckle from the Kage, "She's only in Rain Country, near the Borders of Earth!"

Immediately, the smile on the Tsuchikage's face vanished and the carefree air in the Office shifted into complete seriousness, Naruto and Sasuke stiffening when they sensed it, "Where? Where did you say Sakura-san is?"

"The Rain Country and Earth Country Borders…Very close to Bird Country too…" Naruto answered hesitantly, cobalt eyes becoming sharper with concern, "Why? What's the matter?"

The Tsuchikage sighed, folding his hands together and resting his elbows on his desk, a tired frown stretching over his features, "Time to get down to business Naruto. You and Sasuke are here for checking in on Earth Country, correct?"

"Yes," The blonde-shinobi answered firmly.

"Generally, there isn't much to report," The Kage stated, eyes hard, glaring at the top of his neat desk, "Yet recently, Earth Country has been hearing various rumors spreading around, specifically near our Borders…"

"What kind of rumors?" Naruto inquired, professionalism taking the forefront of his mind, whirring with new information and details; beside him, Sasuke was also alert, eyes hard and calculating.

"Ever since the Akatsuki War ended, Earth Country has been at peace but I can affirm that Rain Country hasn't had the same fortune," The man informed gravely, "Because Rain Country is caught between so many powerful Nations, their Land is used as a battlefield. Their Leader is currently dealing with the ramifications of the War and has a lot on his already busy schedule…Because of this demanding agenda it's hard for the Rain Leader to keep track of his Villages…"

The Tsuchikage looked up, watching with concealed distress as Naruto and Sasuke listened to his words intently, their postures completely tense. It was to be expected, especially when one of their comrades was involved. The Earth Shadow Kage knew _exactly_ how it felt to lose comrades and now that the War was over, it was unnecessary to lose any more.

"News has reached my ears that there has been unease at the Tri-Point Borders of Earth, Rain and Bird Countries," The man continued with a deepening frown, "Villages have evacuated and patrols along those Borders, including my _own_, have frequently disappeared. Never had we had such a chain of disappearances and they only started these passed few months, after the War ended, when we and Rain began negotiating Alliance with Bird Country. When Rain and Bird had established a connecting point for travel and trade to each others' Lands the disappearances started occurring. We believed Bird Country could be behind it–"

"But Bird Country would _never_ do that!" Naruto rudely interrupted, earning a glare from Sasuke and a raised brow from the Tsuchikage, "Toki-sama has no reason to pick on either Rain or Earth; you're _mutually_ aligned with Fire Country!"

"We know," The Kage placated, hands up in surrender, "I spoke with Toki-sama myself and it appears she and her Country have been ravaged with these disappearances far _longer_ than _we_ have. Ten years to be precise."

"Ten years!?" Naruto exclaimed with surprise, earning a nod of the head from the sitting male, "Why hasn't she called for any help then? If this is _killing_ people, we should solve it as soon as possible!"

"Toki-sama hasn't many leads," The auburn-eyed Shinobi answered calmly, "But _something_ out at that Tri-Point Border is killing her people…As well as Earth and Rain Shinobi."

"Are you planning to do anything about it?" Sasuke asked, his dark eyes narrowed as he thought about his pink-haired female teammate.

"Every Shinobi I have sent these passed few months have vanished upon entering the area," The Kage answered gruffly, a mixture of anger and sadness, "Because of this I, too, have no leads. And although the Rain Leader is concerned, he can do nothing but evacuate his Border Villages until restoration of his Country is complete and he can dispatch his Shinobi in an organized manner."

"Why haven't you called Hidden Leaf or even Hidden Sand for help?" Naruto asked, his frown more prominent, azure eyes shining with hidden fear and wariness, also directed towards his female comrade.

The Tsuchikage sighed, rubbing his temples, looking older than he was, the scars on his face furthering his defeated expression, "We've already lost too many Shinobi and we didn't want any of our Allies getting caught in the middle of our own problem. We're assuming it's a rouge group of Ninja, very skilled…Their motives are still unclear…"

"They could be the next Akatsuki Organization for all we know…Or something _similar_…" Sasuke responded darkly, onyx eyes locking with russet, "If you didn't want anyone getting in the middle of it, why would the Rain Leader allow Sakura's Mission…If no one's at that Border Village, why would they call for her aid there?"

The Tsuchikage stopped rubbing his temples, sharply sharing a glance with both sapphire and charcoal, his frown deepening even more, "The Rain Leader _isn't_ calling for any help. He may have a lot to look after but he's strong enough to do it _himself_. And he would _never_ have called for help to an abandoned Village. If he did, it would have been to either myself or Toki-sama since we know what the problem is…"

Naruto clenched his fist, gritting his teeth, blue eyes instantly locking with Sasuke's hard stare, "Then _who_ called for Sakura-chan's help?"

"And why call for her _specifically_?" Sasuke questioned angrily.

"It could be a rouge Ninja, perhaps one that has a grudge against Sakura-san," The Tsuchikage responded with a scowl as he stood, swiftly walking around his desk and past the Leaf Ninja, "Come with me. We will inform your Hokage through Hawk Communication what has happened."

"But what about Sakura-chan?!" Naruto hurriedly asked as he followed after the taller man, Sasuke also at his heels, "We have to go after her! We can't just _leave_ her there, she could already be _captured_!"

"If the stories I heard about Haruno Sakura are true then I'm sure she can handle a few rouge Ninja, at least enough to escape to safety," The Kage answered as he, Naruto, and Sasuke began to descend the spiraling staircase, "As much as I want to help you two, most of my Shinobi are busy protecting Iwagakure and patrolling those Borders…I can't afford to leave anymore to disappearance."

"But _Sakura-chan_ could disappear!" Naruto protested angrily, his hands trembling, "_I'll_ go if I have to! Right _now_!"

"Right now we have to inform your Hokage, Toki-sama, and the Rain Country Leader of what the situation is," The man answered authoritatively, "It wouldn't be a good idea to send all of the famed Team Seven of Konohagakure no Sato into disappearance also. Back-up _will _be needed."

"No," Sasuke answered firmly, his eyes narrowed calculatingly, the Kage eyeing him with skepticism for his dark expression, "We'll inform who we need to, especially the Hokage, she'll know which reinforcements to send. _You_," He looked at the Tsuchikage sternly, "You will assign Naruto and me to a Mission: Find Sakura and Discover the Reason of these Disappearances."

Wide, cobalt eyes turned to Sasuke, "Can he do that?"

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, "He can _hire_ us. The Hokage has done it numerous times with Sand Shinobi; I don't see how this is any different."

"That's true!" Naruto exclaimed with anticipation, "Come on Tsuchikage-sama!! Assign us this Mission, make it S-Ranked!"

The Tsuchikage was silent, still skeptical with this new arrangement. A simple C-Class Alliance Check-In Mission turned into an S-Ranked Rescue and Reconnaissance Assignment? However, looking at the hopeful, determined, _powerful_ stares of Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke – Shinobi he very well admired despite their young age – he couldn't deny them the chance to save their friend. And selfishly, he did want to meet the entire Team Seven in all its famed glory, and losing its well-known Cherry Blossom would certainly take a hard blow to their Squad. The Tsuchikage didn't want to be the cause of it.

Smiling softly – _prideful_ – the Tsuchikage nodded his head, "Go. I will inform the Leaders and make sure reinforcements are sent your way. Be careful and make sure Sakura-san is safe."

Two firm nods.

"As Tsuchikage of Earth Country, I assign you the S-Class Mission: Rescue and Reconnaissance of the Tri-Point Borders of Rain, Earth and Bird Countries. Return here when you have completed your Mission."

Both Naruto and Sasuke bowed, eager to leave, "Yes, Tsuchikage-sama."

The auburn-eyed shinobi smirked, "Perhaps you three are our salvation from this misfortune. Keep everyone updated with whatever methods you have. And _don't_ disappear on us."

"You got it!"

"Hn."

"Good Luck."

* * *

  
**A/N:** So the action begins...Next chapter. Haha, it's so hard writing horror and considering it's my first one, I'm really hoping I protray the fear and horror that readers cn relate to. I hope you readers are liking the story so far, please tell me what you think. And don't worry, it's not just mystery and horror, I'm throwing in some **_romance_** too, because how can you resist a concerned Sasuke for a terrified Sakura...Oh, I have a few fluffy ideas for this, haha, sorry, can't resist :). Anyways, yes, please tell me what you think!!! And no, at this point in time, Sakura and Sasuke are not together, they're only friends. Team Seven will finally have to face fears where Jutsu and weapons may not be able to protect them, how will they handle it?

Thank you for reading and/or reviewing!!

**Disclaimer:** Oh I wish...

**Next Update:** I'm not sure, also working on _It All Started With_...Which I'm also upating today, wheee!

LOVIES!!

Luvinukag83  
aka Len83

**Edit:** Thank you to _Hektols_ in _It All Started With_ for pointing out 'self-proclaimed _future_ Hokage'


	4. Shadows

**The Curse**

_**Chapter Four: Shadows**_

The Border Village had been evacuated _weeks_ ago. Judging by the lack of maintenance in the streets and surrounding buildings, Sakura deduced that it was a very abrupt decision. Going into the abandoned houses and looking through the deserted shops, Sakura noticed that many valuable items had been left behind without a care. There were also no signs of an attack since there were no clear indications of battle, blood, or corpses.

Yet, _what_ would make an entire Village up and leave without the thought of packing?

Were they driven off? Forced away? Ordered?

With a frown, Sakura continued through the Medical Clinic – which she had luckily found at the center of the Village – stepping over upturned shelves and desks, mindful of the shards of glass from broken medicinal bottles on the floor. The ravaged condition of the room caused Sakura's skepticism to return, fingering her kunai knife with acute awareness, green eyes scanning over the chaos, wondering what had happened and if it had any direct connection to the Village's evacuation.

"Hello?" Sakura called out, her voice echoing in the empty rooms as she jumped over a fallen chair, "Is anyone here?"

Again, silence greeted her, causing Sakura to huff with irritation, absently blowing a strand of pink hair from her face.

Entering another room, Sakura flicked on the light switch, breathing a sigh of relief when the lights turned on, viridian eyes brightening when she caught sight of a very important looking Office at the end of the small hallway. _Important_ because it was at the end of the Hallway and had the words '_Files_' just below the window.

"Alright," Sakura breathed as she walked forward, reaching the door without problem, fingers curling around the cool handle, and pulled…

…Only to find it locked.

Sakura sighed, blowing more pink hair out of her face while the lights above her began to flicker. With an annoyed frown, Sakura glared at the iridescent bulbs balefully before pulling the door again, using her chakra-enhanced fists to pry the entryway open. The metal whined against the pressure before it gave in, allowing the door to swing freely and Sakura to smile in triumph as she stepped inside the room, turning on another light.

It was a small room, the walls acting as shelves with numerous amounts of Scrolls and Documents, a lone table in the middle of the area, most likely used for studiers or set-aside papers. Immediately, Sakura noticed the scattered papers and Scrolls around the table, some even in the corner of the room, as if thrown there because it was of no use. The kunoichi took a curious step forward, still checking her surroundings, before she stood just a foot away from the desk.

Her own picture stared right at her.

Frowning, Sakura took up the image, recognizing it as the formal picture she had taken after passing the Jounin Exams. Looking back at the table, where she removed the photo, Sakura found her file, clearly flipped through with her information and mission accomplishments. Heart-rate speeding up, Sakura began to search the other scattered papers, jade eyes widening when she found the files of Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino, Hyuuga Hinata, and Hyuuga Neji, also thoroughly read through.

Leaf Ninja. Why would these files be opened and perused? Who did it?

Continuing her search through the scattered items, Sakura tensed when she came upon a bump among the papers. Removing the obstacles Sakura was surprised to find a wooden handle. Under it were more Scrolls, the coarse parchment somewhat familiar, with inky scrawled writing, some words crossed out in agitation.

'_We ask for the assistance of a number of your skilled Shinobi–"_

'_Aid is asked in the form of Nara– Yamanaka– Hyuuga– Haruno–"_

'_Medical Attention is asked of from Hidden Leaf–'_

'_Hokage-sama, we ask that you send your best Medic–'_

'_Help is needed in the form of Supplies and Healers–'_

'_Please inform Haruno Sakura that Rain–'_

Sakura narrowed her green eyes on the words that were glaring at her, recognizing the style of writing. Left hand shot out to grab her Missions Scroll from her belt, unrolling it in haste before putting the official-looking document beside the mess-ups.

The writing style _matched_.

With a frown, Sakura allowed her right hand to glide towards the wooden handle, picking the object up and carefully turning it over, its flattened side staring up at her.

It was a stamp. An _official_ stamp of the Border Village and the red ink still on the molding corresponded perfectly with the one on her Mission Scroll.

"A trap?!" Sakura whispered fiercely, turning her head quickly to the open door, only to find it, and the hallway beyond, empty.

No. If it were a trap, it should have already been sprung and she couldn't feel any other chakras within the vicinity. But _who_ would want her to come? Why _her_ specifically? And what about Shikamaru, Ino, Hinata, and Neji? Were they in danger? Were _they_ the targets?

Or perhaps they called for her help but they had no way of meeting her. Perhaps the person who asked for her had to evacuate with the Village.

"I should find the Villagers who left…" Sakura murmured as she released the stamp and tucked in her Mission Scroll again, "They could be in a Village not far from here," She sighed, scanning the room one last time before leaving, "I'll look at their Administrations Building first."

Sakura hastily made her way to the exit, passed the hallway with the flickering lights and the lobby area where the chaos remained. She was just about to leave the building into the darkness of night when something by the secretarial counter caught her attention. With a questioning frown, Sakura cautiously moved past the desk, emerald eyes following the shadowed dirt trail into another room, disappearing behind a closed door with the numbers 102 glinting in the dim light. More curious than ever, Sakura knelt down to look at the trail more closely, her gloved finger touching the thick substance before bringing it to her nose.

Jade eyes snapped open. Blood!

Instantly, Sakura was on her feet, Medical Instincts kicking in as she pulled the door open, viridian eyes widening even more with stunned shock, mouth dropping open in disbelief. The room was a simple patient's room, complete with a sink, bed, and a lone window where the moon's light entered through. Yet even with the moon's dull glow as her illumination, Sakura could clearly make out the blood covering almost every inch of the room. There were gruesome handprints, deep crimson stains on the floor and covering the bed sheets, the trail from before leading to and through the open window, gossamer drapes blowing lightly in the evening breeze.

Was someone out there, in the Village? Mortally wounded? Did he or she send the call for help? No, she probably would have seen blood in the '_Files_' Room. Was a killer on the loose?

"Kami…" Sakura breathed as she turned around and left the room with rapid speed, her hands trembling as she pushed the double doors of the Clinic open and leaving her to take in misty air.

The wise thing to do would have been to examine the room, and as a Medic it would have been all too easy for her. She could have obtained valuable – _useful_ – clues from the scene. But something didn't sit well with Sakura. She didn't want to stay in that room not only because of the horrific sight but also because her heart couldn't take it.

Was she afraid?

"Get a grip, Sakura," The Medic berated herself, emerald eyes instantly taking in her dark, hazy surroundings, hands already removing a small lantern from her bag, "Having Sasuke-kun and his Fire Jutsus around would prove very useful right about now…"

Once her lantern had been lit, Sakura took in her environment, noticing that the night did nothing to help her vision – in fact it made it _worse_ – before recalling from memory what the Village's set-up was like. While the Clinic was in the center of the Village so was the Administrations Building, and if Sakura remembered correctly, the Administrations Building was right across the Square, directly opposite of the Clinic.

With a deep breath, Sakura walked forward, green eyes narrowed with determination, adjusting to the murky fog, but to no avail her vision could only go about five feet ahead of her. Slowly she walked, one hand holding up her trusty lantern while the other readily gripped her kunai knife.

And then she saw something.

There was a shadow, a figure in the distance, still obscured from the mist but something _was_ there. Not knowing whether it was friend or foe, Sakura slowed her steps, her kunai knife taking the front, the hand with her lantern moving back. Step by step she edged closer, form ready to spring into action at the slightest of threatening movement.

Closer and closer, the figure began to take a definite shape.

"Hello?" Sakura called warily.

Another step. The mist began to slightly clear as she moved closer.

She found a stone fountain figurine.

Exhaling with amounting aggravation, Sakura allowed her kunai hand to drop and her lantern hand to rise, examining the stone form with contempt, a deep frown on her features, pink brows furrowed in frustration. Huffing, Sakura passed the fountain, intent on finally making it to the Administrations Building, her feet stomping slightly, physically displaying her bad mood.

"There goes my _simple_ Mission," Sakura grumbled under breath as she finally reached the Administrations Building, yanking the door open harder than she intended.

As opposed to the Clinic, the Administrations Building was organized and hardly untouched, its objects remaining the way they had since their owners left. Flicking the light switch on and creeping carefully through the empty hallways, Sakura found the Administrations Records Room and began searching for any recent documents. Fortunately for her, the most recent documents were scattered messily atop the desktop.

'_Negotiations with Bird Country Fulfilled.'_

'_Bridge over Rain Valley Completed…Trade with Bird Country will commence immediately…'_

'_Disappearances Continue in Rain Country Border Village…Disappearances in Bird Country.'_

'_Murders…No Bodies Found…Blood Found…Signs of Struggle/Battle Found…'_

'_Call for Aid from Bird Country and Earth Country.'_

'_Evacuation of Rain Country Border Village will commence by order of Rain Country Leader.'_

'_Disappearance Count: 36 Shinobi and Civilian (Not Including Bird and Earth Countries)'_

Viridian orbs widened with surprise as she continued to read through the Village's Records. It seemed evacuation had happened when disappearances started occurring in the Border Village, specifically after a Bridge had been built over the Valley to connect Rain and Bird Countries. But what caused the disappearances? Did they never find the source of it? Did they ever solve the mystery?

Sakura looked around the quiet – _empty_ – Records Room…Apparently _not_.

But why was nothing done? Perhaps the Rain Leader was too busy to really see to the problem? Admittedly he was occupied with the aftermath events of the past War. But was evacuation the only answer?

Flipping through the records again Sakura stopped at a loose, crinkled paper. Pulling the parchment out more, Sakura frowned with concern when she found dried blood in the form of finger prints and frantically scrawled writing.

'_Room 102…Patient Satsuma Yoshiro found at Rain Valley Bridge. Comatose for one week…Woke up with symptoms of Mental Instability, talking incoherently, blood-shot eyes, high-fever, and would continuously be found with self-inflicted wounds…Highly unstable and dangerous…Not safe to travel.'_

Sakura blinked. Mental Instability? Wasn't that why she was called? Was Satsuma Yoshiro calling for her?And if unfit for travel, was he intentionally left behind? Sakura frowned, folding the paper and placing it in her pouch for further observation and use, just in case she did find Yoshiro. Perhaps he had escaped through the Clinic's Window and was wandering through the Village.

"How can I find him in this mist though," Sakura sighed as she put the folders back on the table, "This would be a lot easier if I had some help."

'…_Ha…Ha…Ha…Ha…Ha…'_

Sakura stiffened, her hands, resting on the table, curled into fists as she listened to the faint sound. With tense shoulders, the Medic focused her keen hearing, trying to decipher the owner, the origin, and the words. It sounded like a little girl, but it echoed, as if there were more children chanting with her. And it _seemed_ like laughter, but something didn't seem right about it, it was a broken laughter, almost like a mantra of a repeated word rather than a smooth laugh of happiness or joy.

It seemed rather terrifying actually.

'…_Ha…Ha…Ha…Ha…'_

Expression melting into determination, Sakura pulled out a couple kunai knives, positioning them between her fingers, realizing that if there was anyone out there, _especially_ defenseless children accompanied with rumors of disappearances, then it was best that she went out and found them. However, she couldn't fathom why children would be left behind.

'…_Come and play with me…'_

Viridian eyes narrowed as Sakura moved through the Administrations Building with silent speed towards the exit, chakra spreading to find any forms of life, but finding none. The voices were getting louder the more she moved, the kunoichi having to stop several times to try and locate where they were coming from, because it almost sounded like several ricochets than a single sound coming from an actual origination point.

'…_Ha…Ha…Ha…'_

Finally, Sakura reached the Administration Building exit, pushing the door open with a grunt and entering once more into the foggy air, the door shutting loudly behind her.

The voices had stopped.

"What is going on?" The pink-haired Kunoichi muttered in bewilderment, moving forward towards the stone fountain and seeing its silhouette take form through the thick mist. However, movement near the fountain stopped the Medical Jounin in her tracks and her armed hand immediately moved into the defensive.

Footsteps resonated throughout the Square and a tiny figure ran away from the stone stature, its darkened form disappearing through the mist, causing Sakura's heart to leap in her chest with surprise before she took off after it with chakra-enhanced speed, expression tight with resolve. She had to catch the strange figure and get some answers, and judging from its small build, the figure was only a child.

"Wait!" Sakura called out as she moved hurriedly through the streets, absently wondering how a child could outrun her Ninja speed, "Come back!!"

'_Come play with me…'_

"Where are you!?" Sakura shouted, narrowing her eyes against the cool mist and cursing the darkness night had brought, "I'm here to help you!"

'…_Ha…Ha…Ha…Ha…'_

Footsteps sounded behind the kunoichi and Sakura immediately whirled around, pink hair flying with her sharp movements, jade eyes catching nothing as the footsteps faded away. Irritated, Sakura followed the muffled noises, winding her through the many streets of the Border Village and annoyingly getting her lost in the thick fog.

'_Come play with me……Come…'_

The little girl's voice was growing fainter and it was becoming increasingly harder for Sakura to make out where it was coming from. If the child would just _stop_ running around and leading her in _circles_!

"Where are you?!" Sakura tried again, yelling out into the darkness.

A very masculine, _pained_ groan answered her.

Whirling towards the source, Sakura crouched down, half-expecting to be attacked, while another part of her brain quickly registered that the voice she had just heard was hardly a child's. Viridian orbs narrowed, looking passed the dense fog as best as she could, her trained sight registering a dark figure in the distance, larger in comparison to the one she had seen in the Village Square.

"Hello?" The Medic called out hesitantly, still wary that this new figure could be an enemy Shinobi.

Her only answer was another agonized groan, one that echoed in the silence, prompting Sakura to immediately spread her chakra and determine the figure's intentions, whether it was strengthened for battle or weakened.

It seemed to be the latter. However, not only was it weakened, the form's chakra wasn't developed either.

Which meant a Civilian!

Expression firm, Sakura quickly took off, chakra surging towards her feet to boost her speed as her jade eyes frantically scanned her surroundings, still alert that this could be a trap. As she advanced closer towards the hunched figure, Sakura heard her feet pound against the floor, the sound different from that of dirt or cobblestone ground. She was running on wood.

"…The Bridge," Sakura realized as she briefly looked to her side, acknowledging the steel railings and the deep Valley beyond.

Another agonized moan reached her ears and Sakura grunted as she ran the last few meters towards the fallen figure, her peripherals catching the growing trail of blood, smudged against the wooden overpass she ran on. Apparently there wasn't much blood when she first began running the wooden passage, but the man seemed to have fallen and was currently dragging himself along towards her, the blood tracks becoming more prominent the more she approached him.

"Don't move!" Sakura instructed as she finally reached him, placing down her lantern and kneeling down, already beginning to channel healing chakra into her hands, "I'm here to help you!"

The Medic made quick work of turning him over – since he was lying on his stomach – absently confused to see that his head was facing eastward, the way she had just come from. If he was going towards her, why was the blood showing otherwise? Pushing the thought aside, Sakura quickly analyzed the man's condition, noting the multiple lacerations over his stomach and arms, the dark shadows under his bloodshot eyes, the paleness of his skin, and the amount of blood that was emerging from his wounds.

"What happened to you…?" Sakura breathed as she instantly put her green-chakra-covered hands over his abdomen, unaffected by the blood that was escaping the man's mouth and landing on her green, Jounin-Flak Jacket.

The man coughed, more crimson liquid escaping his mouth as Sakura quickly tried to close up his wounds, only to be tasked with even more, hidden injuries on his legs and head.

"Don't talk," Sakura soothed, locking concentrated viridian orbs onto panicked brown, "Save your strength……You have so many broken bones…Punctured lungs, deep gouges…Kami, how did you get out here with all of these wounds? Why?"

Sakura knew they were rhetorical questions, especially when she had instructed the man to refrain from speaking. But that didn't stop the Medical Jounin from thinking about it. She couldn't see how a man with his injuries would be able to get as far as he did, let alone move. His clothes were soaked with blood and she could already feel through her chakra analysis that something was terribly wrong with his internal organs. His heart was beating too fast for comfort too.

"You need to calm down," Sakura whispered as she checked his side, mentally wondering how she was going to move the man to one of the abandoned houses for better treatment, specifically away from the cold night had brought, "I'm here to help you."

The man gurgled another response but failed again, succeeding in allowing more crimson liquid to dribble down his chest, leaving Sakura to hurriedly wipe away the blood and move him into a sitting position, that way he wouldn't choke on the thick substance. Cursing, Sakura quickly pulled off her Jounin Vest and pushed her Medical Bag behind him, allowing the male to use the two objects as a pillow to help prop him up, leaving her hands free to continue healing.

"Are you aware of where you are?" Sakura asked as she briefly met her emerald eyes with his deep brown, seeing the fatigue starting to catch up with him and his body; but she couldn't have him falling unconscious on her, "Keep your eyes on me, and stay awake. Do you know where you are? Nod your head."

His half-lidded auburn eyes trained on her sluggishly before her nodded his head, the gesture jerky. Sakura offered a small half-smile in assurance as she began seeing to his lungs, sweat already shining on her forehead from the amount of chakra she was using to tend to all the man's injuries.

"I'm Sakura," She greeted, hoping to calm the man down and slow his still-rapidly beating heart, "…Tell me, are you Satsuma Yoshiro? Just nod."

The man's eyes narrowed slightly, almost as if assessing her before they slid shut in weariness and he nodded again, the movement a little more firm.

"…They're coming for me…" Sakura's head snapped up as she stared at Yoshiro, his voice raspy, still thick with blood, but she heard his words clearly.

"Who?"

Yoshiro shook his head, his eyes rolling around causing Sakura's pink brows to furrow with concern, "…They're coming for me…They're coming……They're coming…"

Sakura frowned. Remembering the small, blood-stained piece of paper in her pouch – the one she had found in the Administrations Records Room – Sakura recalled that Satsuma Yoshiro had _mental instability_. Was this what the paper meant? His wounds? Did he self-inflict them? Was Yoshiro delusional? If so, then she would have to be even more careful with handling them.

"…No one's here, Yoshiro-san," Sakura assured as she returned to her healing, "I'm here, just me, and I'm going to help you."

The man shook his head in protest, more blood spilling from his mouth causing Sakura to surge more healing chakra into his internal systems, "…No! Coming. They're coming for me……There's another…A-And they're coming!"

Sakura frowned as she surged blue chakra into one of her hands, using her enhanced strength to push Yoshiro's struggling form back down, wanting him to cease his resistance so she could efficiently perform her healing Jutsu.

"You need to stay still Yoshiro-san…You're injuries shouldn't be jarred."

Jade eyes frantically searched around for other injuries, one hand hovered over Yoshiro's abdomen while the other kept his weakly floundering form in place. However, her jade eyes drifted, looking towards his feet to see even more blood, smudged from his movement, leading towards the Bird Country Forest side of the Bridge, the opposite of where she came from. Looking back to Yoshiro critically, she couldn't help but wonder, _where_ – _which way_ – did he come from?

A firm grip took her arm, Sakura surprised by the brute strength, her gaze connecting with Yoshiro's as he stared at her intently, his brown eyes wild, "…They'll be coming…For _me_…A-And…They'll be coming for _you_ too…"

His quiet, raspy tone and the words he spoke caused an involuntary shiver to rush up her spine, watching with bewilderment as Yoshiro's eyes slid passed her, focusing on something else.

"They'll take us both," He whispered, eyes widening, leaving Sakura to whip her head around to follow his stare, suspecting an enemy attack, "…They're _here_…"

She could feel Yoshiro tense under her hand, but her eyes were locked on the end of the Bridge, the mist parting conveniently, allowing her to see farther, as well as the shadowed figure standing silently at the end of it. The Medic froze, because even though she couldn't see a face, that figure was, without a doubt, staring at them.

"…They're here…" Yoshiro mumbled as he gripped her arm tighter, "Please…_Please_ don't let them take me…"

"Who are they?" Sakura whispered, afraid that if she spoke loudly, the unknown, foreboding figure would attack; already it looked like it was slowly walking towards them.

"…The _Curse_…" Yoshiro responded softly, his grip on her arm now bruising her flesh, "The _Curse_…They're coming!" Sakura snapped her head towards him as he began to yell in fear, "Don't! Don't let them take me!!!"

However, before Sakura could respond, could allow a reassurance to leave her lips, the grip on her arm was tugged and she felt Yoshiro's body jerk causing another terrified shout to escape his throat. Turning wide green eyes towards Yoshiro's abdomen, she saw his body give another jerk, her stare darting towards Yoshiro's feet where, to her horror, shadowed hands had grabbed, pulling at his ankles.

"Wha–?" The Medic breathed as she stared wide eyes at the dark hand pulling incessantly at Yoshiro's feet.

"No!" Yoshiro yelled as he was pulled completely away from Sakura's stunned arms, his brown eyes wide with panic as he tried to grab for Sakura, his nails grasping at the wooden walkway with no success as he was dragged to the other end of the Bridge where the lone figure silently stood, "Not again! No!! _Help me_!"

Yoshiro's terrified screams instantly brought Sakura back to reality, watching as the man was dragged forcefully away, his injured body leaving another blood trail, the mist converging again and removing the man and the dark figure from her sights. Her mind argued that this battle was out of her element while another, more logical part of her mind, retorted that it was only a Jutsu, a Kekkei Genkai of some sort that was causing this fear to creep through her trembling limbs. Shaking her head, Sakura frowned with determination as she removed her kunai from her thigh holster, standing up and taking off after the bloodied trail Yoshiro's body left behind. She _had_ to save him!

"What the hell was that?" Sakura growled as she ran across the Bridge towards the Bird Country Forests, hearing the faint yells of Yoshiro in its darkened depths.

'_Ha…Ha…Ha…Ha…'_

Sakura cursed, hearing the children's broken chant echo through the shadowed foliage, absently wondering if that was the trap all along. Berating herself for leaving her lantern behind, Sakura ran blindly through the forests' depths, trying to follow the faintest of screams that Yoshiro uttered.

"_HELP ME!!!_"

"I'm coming!" Sakura cried out, her heart beating rapidly, the fear slowly swallowing her heart as she ran deeper into unknown territory, "Yoshiro!!"

'_Come play with me…Ha…Ha…Ha…'_

"NO!!! HELP!!!"

Sakura's breath was coming quickly now, her heart hammering, the blood rushing through her ears. She never expected this on her Mission, she couldn't think. The darkness was becoming too unbearable and the screams, the screams were _terrifying_.

"I'm coming," Sakura whispered faintly, jade eyes wide as she looked around frantically for any clues, "…Kami…"

"_AHHHHH!!!_"

Sakura's heart stopped as she heard the agonized yell echo throughout the dark forests. Her fingers trembled as her sweat-covered hand tried to keep a firm grip on her kunai. Her mind couldn't process properly. She didn't know what to do. Run like hell? Find Yoshiro?

"Kami…" Sakura breathed again as she anxiously pushed the button of her earpiece, trying to attain some sort of communication, "…N-Naruto……Sasuke-kun…"

'_Come play with me…'_

Sakura whirled around, taking a step back as she held out her kunai knife; viridian eyes wide as she stared at the small figure standing near the low branches of a tree, the moon's pale glow helping Sakura ascertain its small silhouette.

"Who are you!?" Sakura asked as strongly as she could, her sense of smell already picking up the strong traces of blood and death, "Where's Yoshiro!?"

The tiny form tilted its head to the side, before slowly, _slowly_ moving forward towards the direct light of the moon. Sakura's breath hitched as she looked upon pale-white skin, wide, wild eyes, blood-stained cheeks, and dark, ebony hair.

She looked like a corpse.

'_Come play with me…'_ The girl whispered musically, her lips pulling into an eerie smile.

It was then that the girl took another step forward, Sakura realizing that something was clutched in her fragile hand. Eyeing her warily, the Medic watched another step be taken before the thing grasped in her hand was bathed in the moon's glow.

Satsuma Yoshiro's foot.

Sakura paled, taking a step back.

'_Come play with me…'_ The girl repeated with the same smile, her lips stretching even further, _'Ha…Ha…Ha…Haruno Sakura…'_

Jade eyes wide, Sakura did the only thing her mind could process.

"_Get out! Run!!"_

With admirable speed, Sakura pulled from her pouch three kunai, the silent sizzle echoing in the clearing causing the tiny girl's smile to lessen. Lending chakra to her throw, Sakura let her kunai fly, the fire from the exploding tags lighting the way, causing Sakura to seize up with anxiety as she saw several more eyes looming in the darkness. Spinning around, not waiting for the inevitable explosion, Sakura ran, pushing as much chakra into her legs and feet as she possibly could.

The explosion sounded behind her, several screams echoed, and the faint light helped Sakura's direction.

'_Come play with me.'_

Looking to her right, Sakura immediately jumped away when she saw the little girl running alongside her, the same smile on her face. Pink brows furrowing, Sakura quickly removed her Summoning Scroll, swiftly biting into her lip and using her blood to write various characters. It took only moments before Sakura was wielding her large Battle Axe, the heavy weapon of steel giving her some reassurance as she ran back towards the Border Rain Village, swinging with all her might towards the tiny girl, who only disappeared into the shadows.

"Damn it!" Sakura cursed as she rested the large weapon onto her shoulder as she ran, not desiring to stop but feeling a little more secure with her heavy weaponry.

'_Ha…Ha…Haruno Sakura. Come play with me.'_

The Medic didn't even have to look as she swung her large blade, waiting for but not expecting the weapon to connect with anything. The darkness was disallowing her from seeing which direction she was going, whether it was right or not, and the mist did nothing to help either.

Just as Sakura was about to take to the trees, something grasped her by the shoulders, a slight pain rocketed through her arms as sharpness pierced through her skin and she was being lifted off the ground. Flailing wildly as she watched herself go higher and higher, Sakura tried her best to break free from the grip, but the hold was firm and slightly painful. With chakra-enhanced strength, she hoisted her Battle Axe, prepared to strike her captor and adjust herself to the pain of the fall, but the clutch on her shoulder tightened, jade eyes widening as her arms went limp from the pressure, her fingers just barely keeping a hold on her Axe.

"What?"

A small, black orb fell before her, her viridian gaze following the object as it disappeared below into the forest's shadows. Moments later an explosion followed and screams of pain echoed in the surrounding area. Another black orb fell eliciting the same results and then another. However, the third and final one did not result in agonizing screams, just complete silence.

Wincing from the pain, Sakura began to observe her environment, noticing the still-thick mist and the pale light of the moon. The direction she was being taken to was the Border Rain Village, the Bridge over the Valley and the blood stains atop it, not hard to miss. Looking at her shoulder, Sakura narrowed her eyes in speculation as she stared at the huge talons digging into her flesh, but not enough to draw blood. Gazing up directly, she noticed that her captor was an Eagle, a large one at that, wearing the garb of an Animal Summoning.

"Who are you?!" Sakura called out, pink hair dancing wildly with the wind current.

A head poked out from over the Eagle's large wings, dark blue eyes narrowed down at her decisively, and shoulder-length brown locks also whipping around his face from the wind. Sakura's green eyes conveyed her surprise with his appearance, not at all expecting a boy her age to be in the area nor her rescuer. Or perhaps captor rather than rescuer. She frowned suspiciously when his head disappeared.

"Who are you?!" Sakura yelled again, "What the hell is going on?!?"

"…I'll tell you once we find shelter," He answered a few moments later, his voice deep yet smooth, "…I'm the one who called for your help."

* * *

They were running double-time through Earth Country's Lands back towards the Border. Sasuke and Naruto didn't waste any time leaving Iwagakure no Sato, feeling it best that they get to Sakura as fast as they could as well as travel under the cooler temperatures that night brought to Earth Nation. Both were quiet, tired because they hadn't gotten a minute of rest, yet only concerned for reaching the Tri-Point Borders of Rain, Earth, and Bird as fast as they possibly could.

Minds were whirring with possible scenarios their teammate could have encountered. The Medic might have fought off the enemy, escaped when she could have, and knowing her heart had probably freed any other captors. Perhaps she was being held prisoner but was cleverly thinking of a way to break out and show the enemies who exactly they were messing with. Maybe she was being starved and beaten, waiting for her Team Seven Boys to rescue her. She could have disappeared like the others, could have been murdered, or caught off guard with a well-hidden trap. Each thought that crossed Sasuke's and Naruto's heads became even worse than the last, their worry digging even deeper into their souls as they thought about their pastel-haired, green-eyed friend.

Both could only hope that Sakura just returned to their designated meeting place after finding the Village abandoned. She would be safe, unharmed, smiling, and complaining, putting their unnecessary fears at ease.

Kami, they _hoped_.

"…What if…" Naruto started as they continued running the flat plains towards towering mountains, Sasuke's dark eyes briefly sliding his way, "…What if they have her? What if Sakura-chan's disappeared…?"

Sasuke's brows furrowed, knowing that he couldn't reassure Naruto that it wouldn't happen. The real world was filled with losses and heartache, Sasuke knew from experience. But it didn't mean he was going to give up. Haruno Sakura didn't dare give up when she and Naruto looked for him, and Sasuke sure as hell wasn't going to either.

Frowning deeply, Sasuke quickened his pace a fraction more, "…We find who did it, Naruto. And we kill them."

* * *

**A/N:** So, I would like to apologize for the long wait for this chapter, it had sincerely not been my intention. I've posted an extra long chapter so I really hope you like it, because we finally got to the **Horror** aspect of the story. Tell me if you got any shivers because that's what I'm aiming for, lol. So, I hoped you liked, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns just review or PM me, I'm pretty good at getting back to people. And I would love to hear about what you think!!

**Disclaimer:** I tried asking Kishimoto-san for Naruto and his friends…But I failed in attaining them…epically.

**Next Chapter:** _Answers:_ Sakura confronts her mysterious rescuer and Sasuke and Naruto become skeptical.

**Next Update:** Last time I said 7-10 days, but with this story I really need to stretch my imagination muscles…Give me a week and a half to two weeks please?

Thank you everyone who are reading and reviewing!! You guys and girls are the best and I would love to hear your opinions!!! Much Love!!!

**Additional Updates:**

_**It All Started With:**_ Still working on Chapter Fourteen. I start school next week so I'm hoping to update by this weekend! Keep a look out!

_**How Well Do You Know YOUR Soulmate?!:**_ I know, I haven't updated this story in AGES but I read over it and I really want to finish it!! Check it out and tell me what you think please!!

_**Troublesome:**_ Part Four of the 'Quote Series' starring Ino and Shikamaru!! I want to get this out soon and then do another Four Part Quote Series with the same Couples (SasuSaku, NaruHina, NejTen, InoShika)!! Check those out too!!

_**Forbidden Bonds:**_ A more dark and mature story that I'm working on with multiple chapters dealing with Team Seven and how they could have fought for one another in an alternate universe, it's not Canon but takes place in same world (ninjas, kages, etc.)

And Additional One-Shots!! Check out the list on my Profile Page and tell me in a review which you would like to see updated!!! Please and Thank You!!!!

WiTh LoVe!!!

Luvinukag83  
aka Len83


	5. Answers

**The Curse**

_**Chapter Five: Answers**_

Sakura winced as the pressure of the large talons digging into her shoulders tightened fractionally, her fingers trembling with effort to keep a secure hold on her Battle Axe. The wind whipped her pastel-pink locks around wildly, viridian eyes narrowed as she noticed the fog begin to thicken over the Border Village just a half a mile ahead of them – had she really run that far into the forest? Her gaze trailed hesitantly back to the wooden Bridge, the faint light of her forgotten lantern flickering periodically and eerily causing the blood tracks from Yoshiro's body to become more prominent. The mist slithered ominously over the Bridge, immediately extinguishing the flame of her lantern and causing Sakura to lose all sight of the evacuated Village.

"Shit," The boy above her cursed quietly against the wind, the Medic's head snapping up with curious wariness, her pink brows furrowed.

Suddenly, the large eagle gave a piercing cry, the sound echoing through the night as the creature jerked suddenly, causing Sakura to jar violently and the pain in her shoulders to return full-force. The jolty movement caused the kunoichi's head to snap momentarily to the side and she distinctly felt her radio being ripped from her ear and the clip on her collar; viridian orbs watched helplessly as the device fell to the darkened forest below, the talons gripping her shoulders and her occupied hands grasping her Battle Axe preventing her from reaching out for the object - _knowing_ that communication would definitely prove useful for whatever situation she was now falling into. With a strained grunt, the kunoichi hefted up her weapon as best as she could and locked her knees around the handle for substituted grip before releasing her fingers and allowing her hands to create a single hand sign, the Axe helpfully disappearing in a puff of smoke permitting less weight for her and the eagle to carry.

"Hold on!" The masculine voice shouted urgently just as the large bird began to dip towards the ground, "Watch it Torio!"

A loud, feminine shriek echoed in the air and Sakura almost thought the loud screech had been caused by herself without her notice; but when a dark shadow flew towards her dangling form, it's desperate cry magnifying as spindly, shadowed arms stretched to grab hold of her Sakura felt her heart drop in pure dread, emerald orbs staring into bottomless black before the startled jerk of Torio forced her to tear her gaze away, barely missing the reach of the creature, her stomach flipping when the large eagle dipped downward back to land.

An outraged moan began to escalate and the kunoichi turned her head against the whipping wind, her watered eyes trying to find the source of the sound, listening as it seemed to converge on her, from behind, below, above, _beside_. But she couldn't see anything, the fog was too thick, there was no light, the air was getting colder.

"Torio!"

'_BLOOD!'_

Through the fog the same shadow appeared, flying at Torio head-on with arms outstretched, ready to embrace the eagle in its darkness. Black tendrils of hair fanned out menacingly as its mouth opened in a throaty moan, dark eyes wide as it continued to spill liquid crimson. Sakura seized up as she felt Torio shift to try to avoid the frontal attack, a terrified wail erupting from Torio's large mass and the Medic could feel her heart stop from hearing such a horrible, fear-stricken sound.

"Dive! Dive!"

The familiar sensation of falling filled Sakura's stomach, her body moving like a ragdoll to the eagle's sudden movement. Her shoulders had already gone numb from the pinch of Torio's talons and Sakura wanted nothing more than to be on the ground with the reassurance of being in her element, chakra-infused fists ready to battle instead of hanging limply from the hold of strangers as if live-bait to the dark shadows that were attacking them.

Too surreal…Too strange…What kind of adventure was she being thrust into _now_?

And then reality hit full force as the talons digging into her shoulders released her, leaving her to fly towards land and hit the ground hard, the momentum of the impact causing her to roll a couple meters before she came to a groaning stop. The pain was unbearable and if the fog hadn't clouded her vision she would have been able to determine her landing and would have alighted in a more graceful manner. Medical instincts kicking in as she judged her pain and sore movements she discerned that her left arm was dislocated from the shoulder, cuts were littered across her body and she had a collection of purpling bruises. Other than that her legs were fine and she was capable of mobility.

Rolling into a sitting position, mind still hazy from the throbbing of her shoulder, Sakura bit her lower lip, breathing deeply, trying to control the moan of pain that wanted to break free from within her throat. Emerald orbs darted towards the dislocated appendage, brows furrowing as her less injured arm readily moved to set the limb back into place, the healing, green chakra of her hand ready to cushion the pain of the inevitable action.

_SNAP!_

Sakura hissed loudly, tears prickling the corners of her eyes but she blinked them back in determination. Her body shook with the awareness of her injuries and she couldn't help but try to remain as still as possible, her right hand holding her still-throbbing left shoulder, shivering from the biting cold that touched her exposed skin. She could vaguely hear the sound of the eagle's – Torio's? – panicked cries in the background, the occasional hissing, dark whispers answering those sounds and steadily getting louder around her and reminding her of darkened shadows, bloody tears, and the dead Satsuma Yoshiro.

Kami, was she going to die?

Cool hands suddenly grasped onto Sakura's uninjured right shoulder and she unconsciously froze with fear, the tugging that followed caused the blurring of her vision – something she had failed to notice – start to come back into focus. Then her mind began to sharpen and her right hand released her left shoulder and clenched, already focusing her chakra into her fist, strategy and survival beginning to take the forefront of her mind as she darted her gaze towards what had grabbed hold of her.

"Get up Sakura-san! Hurry!"

Viridian clashed with dark blue and Sakura was surprised she didn't find a bottomless black, or even a socket-less gaze, to be staring back at her. Instead she saw emotion in those cobalt depths and the Medic immediately felt the adrenaline and energy begin to seep away from her and become relief, her fist relaxing as she blinked up at the stranger who had saved her from the forest, the fatigue returning as well as the pain of her sore body.

Sakura exhaled a shaky breath as her head began to bow in exhaustion but the stranger was desperate as he tugged her again, forcing her body upward little by little, trying to get her back on her feet. Sakura's brows furrowed as she tiredly met his gaze, alertness slowly coming back to her, and she could recognize the urgency displayed in his blue eyes; then his gaze darted away to something behind her and his eyes widened fractionally and his tugging increased considerably before finally, _forcefully_, he pulled her back onto her feet.

"Sakura-san, we need to go!" He urged, his eyes still not returning to meet her gaze.

Suspiciously – slowly – Sakura turned her head in the direction of his attention, her body still following his movements, allowing him to drag her along as she peered over her left shoulder. Her eyes widened.

"Run, Sakura-san! Run!"

Her feet began to pick up pace and Sakura turned her head forward, pastel locks flying from the quick gesture as her gaze landed on the stranger's back, his hand clasping her right one, leading her forward, buildings and structures taking shape in the fog ahead of them, her mind registering that they were back in the Rain Border Village. But her gaze was unfocused again, the image of what she had seen behind her playing over and over in her head.

Shadows. Silhouettes. Figures. _Something_. Numerous of them. They were all emerging from the forest and fog, crossing the Bridge, gliding with the mist over the bloodied trail Yoshiro had left behind. Their forms were not human, limbs bent in grotesque forms, their movements flickering and spastic, the droning of their combined groans drowning out her frantic thoughts and the sprinted steps she and her companion took.

'_What _are_ they?'_

Sakura couldn't help but chance another glance back, curiosity getting the best of her, heart thudding in her chest with fear of the unknown and mind striving to understand it. What she found was something dark rushing towards them – the same feminine silhouette she had encountered when in Torio's hold – its arms outstretched towards her and her unsuspecting comrade. Beside the approaching form were the same spindly shadow-arms that had taken a hold of Yoshiro on the Bridge, the moans, of the shadows left behind, increasing in volume.

Emerald orbs wide, Sakura did the first thing her mind could process; her hand that was held by the blue-eyed man was instantly reversed in hold, chakra surged through her arm, and she threw him to the side, his surprised gaze locking with hers as they fell to the ground just as a feral cry echoed in the air. Through her peripherals Sakura could see the creature lunge at them but because of her sudden jerk out of its reach, the shadow flew passed them, spindly arms following.

She and the boy both fell to the ground with simultaneous grunts, the Medic making sure she didn't land on her left shoulder before she rolled back into a crouch, eyes narrowed as she clenched her right fist, blue chakra already building up in the tightened appendage. The boy beside her was a little slower getting up, still surprised by the sudden throw and he shook his brown hair from his face. Sakura kept her gaze trained on the dark presence that had landed yards away from them; it's wide, bloodied eyes connected with hers as it turned around, studying Sakura before walking towards her again, the Medic awaiting the inevitable attack.

It wasn't seconds until the creature gave another vicious cry and charged towards them, quick like the black shadow it was. Instantly, Sakura was standing, her right arm instinctively pushing the boy behind her before that same arm used the momentum to pull back, chakra pouring out with clear intention.

"NO!" The yell caught her off guard and she faltered slightly, "Don't touch it!"

With the creature just meters away and rapidly closing in, Sakura was surprised when a sudden force pushed her back to the ground, the familiar bodily form – the boy – landing atop her and sending a jolt of pain through her left shoulder where she landed. Her eyes had been wide open and as she fell – gaze to the sky – she could see the shadow pass overhead, barely missing them, its outraged howl following.

"What the _hell_?" Sakura hissed, half in pain and half in annoyance, "What are you _doing_?"

Blue eyes sternly connected with hers and the Medic fell silent with the amount of emotion she witnessed in those cobalt depths – sad and afraid.

"You just can't touch them," He stated gravely before pushing himself up and pulling her to her feet again.

Before Sakura could speak, she was pushed back the same way she had done to him, protected from the view of the dark creatures approaching, the boy in front of her creating a series of hand signs before he spread out his arms, fire bursting forth from his fingers as oil simultaneously spilled out from containers hidden beneath his sleeves.

"Katon no Tatsumaki no Jutsu!"

He directed his attack in a horizontal manner, creating a wall of fire and causing a shriek of anger and following groans of despair to fill the air, the shadows and figures barely visible through the flames. Sakura observed in awe as she watched the dark flickering of their forms dance across the fire trying to find an opening towards them, the orange glow causing her gaze to alter to the sudden light. But, it seemed the shadows were adjusting, testing the flames, almost as if they were adapting to the heat and were going to walk through unscathed at any moment, but before she could see the result, Sakura was being dragged away once more, further into the village.

"They're too fast!" Sakura stated as she sped up to run beside him, her eyes wide, "We can't outrun those things."

"I know," The boy answered, his blue eyes darting around the different structures and buildings they passed, tone hardened.

Not liking the answer, Sakura frowned, "Then what are we doing? And if we can't fight them because we can't _touch_ them, just…just _what do we do_!"

He side-glanced her way, picking up the panic lacing her tone, her green eyes becoming glassy, brows furrowed with worry and a hint of fear. Ninja didn't like feeling helpless and useless and unfamiliar; ninja prided in the knowledge of their arts and he knew that Haruno Sakura had not met a situation like this before in her entire life.

But he was still going to need her help.

"Trust me," He whispered, tugging on her arm reassuringly and then they were turning down an alleyway, into more darkness that caused Sakura to tense further, gaze trying to find the boy's back in front of her yet only finding comfort in the firm hold he kept on her hand.

Then they stopped. It was silent.

"Wha–" Her words were cut off by an urgent squeeze of her hand and her mouth immediately shut, viridian orbs finding cobalt in the darkness.

The boy placed a single finger to his lips – a little difficult to see in the obscurity of night and mist – requesting her complete silence, before he turned away from her, releasing her hand and almost causing the Medic to utter a panicked whimper. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness she watched as the boy walked up to a closed back-entryway, observing the door and handle at a hurried pace. As he did this, Sakura looked around the alleyway, finding emptiness and another door on the opposite wall. The fog was still thick and the wind was picking up at a stronger current, both ends of the alley empty of life. Spreading her chakra, enough for herself not to be detected, the Medic searched for any signs of life and found nothing but her new comrade, brows furrowing in confusion.

Were they gone? And if anything, what _were_ _they_ exactly?

_CRASH!_

Sakura snapped her head back towards her companion, watching as he slammed once more into the locked door shoulder-first before the entry gave way to the impact. Not seconds later a chill crawled up Sakura's spine and a collection of cries and groans sounded and in her minor vision Sakura could see shadows appear at both ends of the alley.

"Sakura-san!"

The Medic was quick to respond, following the boy into the house, the door slamming closed behind her, though with a broken lock it was pointless. However, her companion took her hand again and dragged her further into the house. It was a homely interior, comfortable and organized and Sakura could only register running through a kitchen, past a set of stairs leading to the upper level – where she heard a resounding crash of glass – and by the locked front door where she was roughly pushed into a living room, stumbling into a dead end where all she saw was a small table, a couch and recliner, shelves filled with books, and two large windows covered by thick curtains.

The boy started muttering behind her and Sakura watched as he slammed the shoji door closed, effectively trapping them from the rest of the house and the Medic couldn't help but feel desperately alone, with no way out, awaiting her death, wondering what those shadows – those _demons_ – were going to do with them when they caught up.

Strong hands took her by the shoulders – she flinched when pain shot up her left shoulder once more – and blue eyes looked at her urgently before he gently, yet hurriedly pushed her down onto the floor to lie still. Confused and feeling the panic begin to surface Sakura began to struggle against him.

"What are you doing–?"

"Just stay down," He answered softly, another crash upstairs sounded followed by a babble of hisses and whispers, "Don't move."

He didn't wait for her answer, but cast a meaningful glance at her before getting back to his feet and rummaging quickly through his back pouch. Sakura stayed still, lying there, questioning herself and her lacking action, wishing this was all just a nightmare that she could just wake up from.

Wishing she was with Naruto and Sasuke.

Up on the ceiling, Sakura could see one corner begin to get darker as if something was seeping through the cracks. Beside her the windows were beginning to rattle. The hissing and groaning around her was getting louder and Sakura just wanted to cover her ears and close her eyes and _scream_; instead she watched the boy – this boy her age who was now standing above her in the center of the room – his eyes closed and mumbling quietly, blue chakra bordering his body and around the stack of rectangular papers – ofudas? – held in his hand.

"Fuuinjutsu: Nijuu Kekkai!"

His eyes snapped open and Sakura watched as the stack of ofudas shot from his hand around the room, sticking to the surface of the walls, windows, and the large shoji door they had come from. All pieces glowed as bright a blue as the chakra that had been surrounding the boy and once they had all settled on the various surface of the room, the results were immediate.

Sakura watched as the darkness that had been seeping from the ceiling pulled back, disappearing; the rattling windows ceased and the hissing and whispered escalated into frustrated and outraged cries. The boy fell to his knees beside her, breathing heavily and Sakura was instantly sitting up, checking his condition and allowing more questions to invade her scattered head.

"What did you _do_?" Sakura whispered as she placed a hand on his shoulder, viridian orbs already taking in the glowing blue objects and concluding they were seals, "Ofudas?"

"Yes," He nodded, still regulating his breathing though looking up to make sure everything was in order, "They'll be able to keep them out, at least until morning…And that's all the time we need."

"How is it doing it?" Sakura inquired as she stood, moving towards one of the wards knowing not to touch them but scrutinizing the characters written on it and how it worked, "Keeping them out, I mean."

"They don't take too well to _heavy_ amounts of chakra; each seal probably has ten shinobis' worth of chakra…It takes a lot of time to make and I don't have many left," He stood, looking around the room before he found a few candlesticks standing on the shelves, walking over and lighting them before he placed them on the table, "They don't like light either, and heat is always a surprise to them – fire, I mean – but they adapt to it, not entirely though, it's still a minor weakness to them. We just need to wait this out until the sun rises…They'll leave when day breaks."

Sakura watched him silently. With the lessened threat of danger she was able to finally study who her companion was, green eyes narrowed as she considered him. His posture was heavy yet still alert, a shinobi no doubt but a tired one. His face was lined with fatigue and his blue orbs were hardened as he stared blankly at the flickering candles. His build was a mixture between Naruto and Sasuke, tall like her blonde best friend but lean and muscled like the Uchiha. His shoulder-length brown locks were mussed and his clothes were dirtied. He was a handsome boy, her age she knew, and by the way he was dressed, armed, used Jutsu and generally handled himself she concluded he was also a shinobi. But his headband was missing so she wasn't sure from which country he originated – Rain perhaps?

And his expression: sad, sullen, brooding…It reminded her of someone: Sasuke…

"…Where is your eagle?" Sakura asked quietly as she took a seat on the arm of the couch, watching him, "Torio? Is…Is he okay?"

The boy nodded without looking at her, "I dismissed him when we touched land…He wouldn't have been able to hold out much longer."

Silence again and Sakura shifted uncomfortably, wringing her hands together before looking up at the boy and finding him watching her intently; she sighed and pushed forward, "…Who are you exactly? You…You said you called me here and I'm assuming you need my help, but…but just _what_ is going on?"

The boy bit his cheek – an action that seemed childish for a boy of his serious nature – before he turned to her direction fully, the steady groans and moans outside drowning out of Sakura's mind as she waited for his much-needed explanation, "…Sakura-san, my name is Makoto Dai. I am a Chuunin shinobi of Bird Country and I called you here on deception for your help," He ran his hands through his brown locks, before returning his gaze to hers, "I looked through your files in this Village's records and I called you here for your assistance. There had been other candidates – Hyuuga, Nara, Yamanaka – but your skills were more useful – you are familiar with chakra in the body due to your Medical knowledge and your strategic perception is remarkable. I had no time to have this cleared with my superiors; this problem needs to be solved as soon as possible so I sent a fraudulent request to your Hokage…"

Eyes wide, Sakura tried to wrap her head around what she was just told, "…I see. But what can _only_ my help do? I mean, what _are_ those things?" She tilted her head towards the covered windows, "I sense no chakra, they're fast and _unnatural_…Are they even _people_? Is it some sort of disease that needs curing?"

Dai shook his head, "They aren't people…They are _unnatural_, like you said. We know nothing about them, or at least have very little knowledge of them. It's a mystery," He looked up, "That's where you come in…I need your help to figure this out. Although," He sighed, "I do apologize from which the circumstances of your hiring…"

Sakura breathed in deeply; she knew she couldn't get mad – she had a _right_ to, she could very well have _died_ – but _now_ was _not_ the time; she needed to think rationally and clearly, especially if she wanted to make it back home to Konoha – _alive_, "Makoto-san–"

"Dai," He corrected; his expression was serious.

Sakura blinked, "Dai-san…I'm flattered that you think so highly in my abilities and skills but having no knowledge of this problem and having no time beforehand to prepare and study up on a solution is _difficult_, to say the least…As an ally, I want to help, but if it's only the two of us against _them_…I don't know what good it can do or what help I can be."

"I'll debrief you," Dai explained hurriedly, eyes wide, concern for her decline of the mission evident on his features, "I have any and all information you need, we'll relocate to my village – they haven't reached there yet – and I'll call in for anything you need. I'll answer any questions you have…Just please; _please_…I need to stop these _things_ from killing people…I _need_ to finally stop this."

She watched as his eyes darkened with grief. Her heart clenched painfully because she recognized that plea. He was a man broken, like Sasuke who had lost his family. He was a man feeling helpless, like she and Naruto had been when Sasuke had defected. Deep down she knew she had to help him and she knew that she _wanted_ to help him. The mystery was eating at her and she could not allow for this terror to run rampant through the country only to eventually overcome her own home and take her own friends and family away from her.

She wouldn't.

"…I'll help you Dai-san," Sakura stated as she stared at the flickering candle, "As a kunoichi, as an ally, and as someone who values life I _will_ help you," She looked back up at him, emerald orbs hardened, lips pulled into a frown, "But you need to tell me _everything_. When these things leave I'll also have to do a little investigating myself…"

Relief washed over her companion's expression and he instantly bowed his head, "Thank you Sakura-san. I appreciate this immensely!"

A loud groan startled the two shinobi and both pairs of eyes slid towards the shoji door. The light of the candles caused shadows to form across the paper thin doors and Sakura and Dai watched with bated breath as a single figure crawled and dragged itself slowly along the hallway on the other side of the shoji, the sound of the body dragging against the wood and the accompanying grunts sent a jolt down Sakura's already tensed spine. She watched it move in clumsy coordination before it came to a stop beside the door, one hand coming up in attempt to open it only to get shocked by the seals; it reeled back in obvious agony and pain, its shriek echoed by others' before it stood and stayed, completely still in front of the door, its shadow across the shoji menacing. Sakura swallowed, she knew the creature was watching them, as if through the paper thin wall, waiting.

'_Ha…Ha…Ha…Ha…Come outside to play with me…'_

The children's broken chant started up again but it wasn't coming from the figure standing still outside the door; it sounded like it was coming from outside the house. Eyes narrowed, Sakura crept towards the curtain-covered windows, Dai making a sound of protest behind her.

"Sakura-san, I don't think–"

"Will they hurt me if I look?" Sakura asked, standing next to the window, her gaze divided between the shadow near the door and Dai.

Dai shook his head, "No, but, I wouldn't advise–"

"If I'm going to help you with this, I'm going to need to know all that I can know," Sakura reasoned, and before he could utter another protest she parted the curtains for a peek.

Her heart leapt in her chest and her stomach dropped. Figures of different sizes were standing right outside the window, staring at her, swaying lightly to the children's chant, eyes – bloodied, wide, and some socket-less – staring up at her. Some were expressionless, others were grinning, but they were all staring, right against the window, stopped only by the ofuda Dai had produced beforehand.

'_Ha…Ha…Ha…Come outside to play…Ha…Ha…Haruno Sakura…'_

The little girl from before, the one who had been in the forest, carrying Yoshiro's foot, was sitting on a swing hanging from a tree just outside the house. She was smiling her eerie smile as she stared at Sakura, singing and speaking in her beautiful, light voice, other unknown children's voices echoing her.

Sakura sucked in a breath, slowly closed the curtain, walked back towards the couch and sat down – well-aware of the shadow still standing on the other side of the shoji.

The Medic closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, muttering under her breath, "What _are_ they?"

"A _Curse_," Dai answered solemnly, "A mystery…Murderers, monsters, _demons_…"

"_Curse_?" Sakura whispered incredulously – it _couldn't_ be, curses didn't exist, they were mistaken as residue chakra or just stories made-up for the purpose to get thrills in scaring others, it _had_ to be something else, "…Yoshiro called it that too…Before they took him."

"Shit…" Dai growled, hand combing through his brown locks again – Sakura was starting to see that simple action as his unconscious way of displaying anxiety, "I thought I left him safe in the Hospital…"

Sakura sighed, "…Then that will probably be the first stop in our investigation tomorrow…"

"_Ha…Ha…Ha…Haruno Sakura…Won't you come play? Dai-san…Dai-san…Dai-san…"_

"…How do they know our names?" Sakura inquired, watching the shadow on the shoji begin to sway.

Dai shrugged, "…It's always been like that…At least when that girl is around…She's probably somewhere nearby."

"She's outside," Sakura answered, tilting her chin to the window, "On the swing."

Silence resumed again and as much as Sakura wanted to continue her questioning she'd rather press in more secure circumstances. Fatigue was beginning to catch up with her but there was no way in hell she was going to fall asleep with all the moaning and children's laughing and shadows around her. Instead she raised her right hand to her left shoulder, pouring her healing green chakra into the slightly throbbing appendage while quietly assessing whether or not Dai needed medical assistance also.

Fortunately, he seemed to only have a few minor scrapes and bruises. He only looked tired, his dark blue eyes covered by heavy lids but his shoulders were still tensed, his body angled in a way so that he was able to keep an eye on the shoji and the shadow beyond it.

"…I know this isn't an ideal thing to suggest, Sakura-san…But perhaps you should get some sleep…"

Sakura shook her head, "I don't think I could, even if I was _completely_ exhausted…I'd rather stay awake."

Dai nodded his head in understanding and said nothing further.

The Medic, however, made herself comfortable on the couch, pulling her knees to her chest and leaning her cheek atop them. She did her best to drown out the moaning and broken laughter by thinking as much as she could, her thoughts straying to her Team Seven comrades.

Would she ever see them again? What would they do once three days passed and she had failed to show up? Her eyes narrowed: would they come after her only to fall into this hellish nightmare?

She tensed. She couldn't let that happen! She needed to warn them! But _how_?

The shadow at the shoji moved, a dark arm reaching out before it touched the paper-thin barrier, the cackling of the seal causing a moan of pain to leave the creature but it continued its finger's vertical trek down the partition. Dai had looked up, eyes narrowed suspiciously and Sakura frowned, watching the figure's movements with heightened alertness.

'_Blood…Give me blood…I want your blood…'_

Sakura watched warily as the hand stopped its trek and the shadow continued its silent sway again. Unlike the children's chant, the voice calling out for blood had been more gravelly and throaty, menacing almost. She looked down at her attire, her skin riddled with various cuts where blood was plainly present and then glanced in Dai's direction, seeing similar cuts on his body also.

Were they drawn to _blood_ specifically?

Shaking her head, Sakura removed her gaze from Dai and the shoji-shadow and placed her right cheek back on her knees, returning to her previous thoughts; thoughts about her Team Seven boys.

Summoning Katsuyu would do no good. Naruto and Sasuke wouldn't be able to summon the slug for information and sending her out into the night was suicide. The Medic could wait until morning, have Katsuyu meet them at the spot and have her inform them not to do anything rash; just go back to Konoha and stay _safe_.

…Who was she kidding?

This was _Naruto_ and _Sasuke_. They wouldn't care what kind of danger there was. They'd run through that danger _and_ hell and back just to make sure she was okay.

A small smile curled her lips. Her eyes involuntarily closed.

She'll figure out what to do to keep them safe, somehow, when they arrived. Knowing them, they'd come for her and help her solve this mystery, by her side, while at the same time acting as her shield. They were a team. They were her friends. They were her _family_.

They were Team Seven; _Team Kakashi_.

So, she'd wait for them. Because she knew, without a doubt, that they would come.

They would come.

For _her_.

* * *

**A/N:** Uh…he he, Hi. Sorry for the long wait again. Life has taken my time by storm. Hopefully you all aren't confused so far, feel free to totally **PM** me if you _are_ confused. Thanks to everyone who have stuck by me and are continuing to stick by me throughout this adventure, and special thanks towards your patience and support during this _long_ wait. Just know that I am incredible _SORRY_! I know all my other stories need updating, and I'll give you an idea of what will be updated soon:

**Forbidden Bonds: (Chapter 5)** 50% Finished

**It All Started With: (Chapter 16)** 45% Finished

**False Façade: (Chapter 2)** 20% Finished

**The Curse: (Chapter 6)** 10% Finished

**Missing In Action: (New Story – Chapter 1)** 100% Finished, Will Post SOON!

**Troublesome (One-Shot)** 45% Finished

**Vengeance (New Story – Chapter 1)** 20% Finished

And that's also probably going to be the _**order**_ in which it will be **updated**. I hope to get this all done by the weekend. So bear with me and thanks again for your patience and support, you're all the best!

**By the Way!** Who is starting to get a _little_ _scared_? Please tell me if there's anything I can work on in my writing skills to make the scare factor even better! Feedback is very much appreciated! Thank you!

**Disclaimer:** Oh I wish…But _no_ I _don't_.

**Next Chapter:** Naruto and Sasuke reappear!

**Oh!** And I plan on sending out some **Pokémon (AAML)**, **Fullmetal Alchemist (EdWin)**, and **Final Fantasy VII (CloudTifa)** Fictions too, so if you're FANS, please check them out! :)

**You Are All The Best! And Feel Free To PM Me About Recent Naruto Manga Chapters Too! Heehee!**

**With Love!  
**_Luvinukag83  
aka Len83_

_**Please Check Out My Profile and Other Fictions! Thank You!**_

_**:D**_


	6. Investigation

**The Curse**

_**Chapter Six: Investigation**_

Emerald orbs stared distractedly at the three flames flickering in the cold air of the house. The three sticks of wax had dwindled steadily in the past few hours, the white substance dripping onto the wooden table and drying in large drops and occasional rivulets from the uneven surface. Her skin felt numb because of the cold and it didn't help that she was only wearing a fishnet tank-top and thin, black leggings. Her Jounin flak-jacket had been left behind on the Bridge along with her medical bag – items that had been used to help prop up the injured – and _dying_ – Satsuma Yoshiro.

Sakura closed her eyes, her body trembling slightly as she remembered his agonized yells and his blood _everywhere_; his _foot_ clutched in the hand of a _little girl_ – or what _seemed_ to be a little girl. She was familiar with death, her professions – as a Medic and Ninja – dealt with it every day, but never in _this_ sense, never had she seen it so _brutally_ carried out. Hours had passed and as the fear from before had settled into a feeling of confusion and desperation and a little disbelief with her situation, Sakura sat in silence, trying to figure out how she was going to approach this new threat and unsure if there was even a solution towards this seemingly _unreal _problem.

She opened her eyes, gaze landing once more on the candles before flickering upward to watch Makoto Dai. Makoto Dai, who was her rescuer yet also the one who condemned her to this chaos, sat tiredly on the recliner, arms crossed over his broad chest, warming himself, yet dark blue eyes remained trained on the shadow still swaying on the other side of the sealed shoji door. Sakura didn't want to look at the shadow, she was already trying her best to block out the constant hissing and broken laughter sounding just outside the windows, and the periodic groans from the swaying silhouette was reminder enough that it was still there.

However, she watched Dai, his shoulders were hunched and he was fighting to stay awake. Occasionally, his eyes would briefly scan the glowing ofudas sticking to the walls making sure they were in proper working order; the wards were what kept the shadows at bay and were what ultimately kept them safe. Throughout the entire time she had been sitting silently on the couch Sakura had been turning the boy's words over in her head.

Apparently he was very informed and knowledgeable of these creatures, at least enough to have an idea about some of their weaknesses and _survive_ against them. Judging by his exhaustion and heavy eyes – his breakdown even – these deaths had been happening for some time, which corresponded with the records found at the Administrations Building. Although he had informed her that he was a Chuunin from Bird Country Sakura was uncertain if she had remembered his quick explanation correctly, and as much as she searched she still could not find a hitae-ate on his person. She'd probably inquire about it later, when she felt like talking, when the shadows were finally gone.

The Medic couldn't help but allow some skepticism to return, still unsure why _she_ had been chosen among his found records to aid him and why Shikamaru, Hinata, Ino, and Neji had also been candidates. She wondered how Satsuma Yoshiro played a role, whether he really was _mentally unstable_ or was merely mistaken for it when he was simply just scared out of his mind. Because – ANBU Ninja or not – Sakura was scared, she didn't like dealing with the unknown, she didn't believe in _Curses_. Someone had to be playing with them; this had to be some kind of Jutsu or Bloodline Limit, right?

She sighed, looking away from Dai and towards the hardwood floor, eyelids heavy with fatigue not only from the high levels of energy she exuded hours prior – healing Yoshiro, running in the forest, painful injuries – but also from the sheer emotional stress and the constant whirlwind of thoughts and questions brewing in her head. This mystery was eating at her and she was only hours into trying to solve it; the frustration was overwhelming. The only thing she could do was look forward to the morning, when those _things_ left, when Dai could finally debrief her completely, and when she would be able to send word to Naruto and Sasuke of her condition and the obvious reinforcement she was going to need.

'…_Haruno Sakura…Dai-san…You didn't come out to play…'_

The Medic lifted her head, Dai doing the same, switching his gaze towards the window where the little girl's lilting voice echoed. The figure behind the shoji began to move and Sakura and Dai followed its uncoordinated trek across the hall until its shadow was no longer visible.

'_But we'll come back for you…'_ The little girl continued, her voice also fading away, _'Yes, we'll come back for you so we can play…We'll come back…Just for you…'_

And the collection of groaning and hissing decreased until silence prevailed, Sakura and Dai watching the curtain-covered windows warily and after almost a minute of complete quiet light filtered through the cracks of the thick drapes, hitting the floor in yellow beams, steadily getting brighter. Sakura released her knees with a start, standing up and staring at the rays of light stretching across the floor with curious eyes. Her viridian orbs were wide – a little blood-shot from lack of sleep – and she released a long shaky breath. Dai had stood, purposefully moving towards the window and with a breath of his own pulled the curtains open effectively causing the entire room to be filled with warm and bright sunlight.

Sakura stared, seeing the Village streets cleared of mist and shadows, the sun rising above the horizon, the tree outside a lush green and its swaying swing empty.

Morning had finally come.

* * *

Azure orbs were narrowed in complete determination. They were going too slow, he wasn't running fast enough, his unlimited supply of chakra was _failing _him. Forget that his heart couldn't take much more pressure after running non-stop for hours without rest, forget the fact that his legs and limbs could only do so much to keep up with his excessively-chakra-powered self, forget that he also had to pace himself for his other comrade who may also be fast but was also _human_ without either the aid of a tailed-demon or a previously acquired Curse Seal. It didn't matter that he hadn't had an ounce of rest since the night before, that his short meeting with the Tsuchikage had hardly been a recovery period, and that the reputed heat of Earth Country was already sapping his energy, drenching him in unneeded pounds of sweat.

What mattered was finding his Team Seven female comrade. What mattered was keeping her safe.

They weren't far now; his running was becoming a little more uncoordinated and sluggish but his cobalt gaze could already see the forests and the general area of the clearing that he and Sasuke had been the day before, parting away from Sakura with the notion she was on a harmless healing Mission. Naruto and Sasuke were running down the mountain trail at flash speed, a blur to the untrained eye, their steps quick and soft, stealthy like ninja should be yet not minding any trails left behind. Morning had come on swift wings, the sun rising from the horizon and although the heated weather and clear skies overhead promised a beautiful day the two Leaf Ninja gave little notice; their minds registered morning, their minds registered passing minutes that could make the difference of the limited time their comrade had left; a life was on the line and their haste was necessary.

_Her_ safety was more important than any followers that chose to trail them, whatever their reason. Naruto's blonde brows furrowed; let them come, he wouldn't mind beating the shit out of anyone that had the answers he was looking for. If they took Sakura then there was going to be hell to pay.

A grunt sounded from his companion and Naruto slid his gaze towards the darker blur beside him, bright azure instantly connecting with dark obsidian and communication was passed with little trouble. Sasuke veered completely off the steep path of the mountain and leapt, down towards the forest with crimson eyes, completely bypassing the mountain trail in favor of saving time – even if it meant jumping off the rocky path into a seven-hundred foot fall. But the Uchiha fell without fear, head first, eyes narrowed, Sharingan spinning.

Naruto couldn't help but smirk, his agreement of the idea in the form of jumping after the ex-Avenger, gaining speed and rapidly heading towards the forest floor, wind whipping past his tanned face and through his spiky-blonde locks. One-hundred feet from the canopies of the approaching trees and Sasuke glanced Naruto's way; Naruto answered with a single nod before he closed his eyes and placed his hands in a single hand sign.

Being a Wind Elemental sure came in handy.

With a sweep of his arm, Naruto could feel the wind bend to his whims, slowing his and Sasuke's rapid descent and cushioning them against the impact of the trees' canopies. Once they had flown through the first level of leaves and branches Naruto swept out his arm again and he and Sasuke landed with ease on a couple of strong, sturdy branches. Breathing once and after a short triumphant smirk Naruto's expression melted to determination once more, blue orbs connecting with flickering crimson and obsidian before both nodded and jumped from their respective perches, speeding deeper into the forest, closer to their designated clearing.

"I'm not sensing _any_ chakra," Sasuke stated darkly, the meters closing in, "She's not there."

"You don't know that!" Naruto snapped anxiously, picking up his pace, "She's got perfect chakra control; she could be practicing suppressing her chakra or something!"

Sasuke glanced at him with a slightly raised, disbelieving brow, but didn't comment further.

With a scowl, Naruto pushed forward with renewed energy, calling forth the Nine-Tails' chakra, breaking through the last of the foliage and landing heavily on the forest ground, "Sakura-chan?"

Silence greeted him. Trees and more trees greeted him. Naruto's heart stopped in disappointment and fear.

Sasuke landed beside Naruto, frowning as he looked around, quietly assessing the clearing, undoubtedly checking if there were signs of an attack or even signs of Sakura's return at all. He stepped forward, Sharingan returning, looking to the floor and examining a patch of dirt and grass before kneeling beside it.

"She's not here," Naruto whispered, despair lacing his voice; his eyes snapped wide and he immediately reached for his ear then collar, flipping on the device with urgency, "Naruto to Sakura-chan! Naruto to Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan, can you hear me?"

The blonde released the button and was answered with static. He frowned, waiting a few moments before pressing the button again.

"Sakura-chan, do you copy? Sakura-chan? Answer me, Sakura-chan!" Again he released the button and was answered with static, "Damn it! Teme, is your radio working? I think mine is busted!"

"Your radio is working fine, Dobe," Sasuke answered calmly as he stood, dark orbs scanning the clearing again, "I could _clearly_ hear you on mine," He then locked orbs with Naruto, brows creased, "She's either out of range or _her_ radio's been damaged," He glanced back at the patch of grass and dirt, "The only other signs of people here were the three of us when we separated," He shook his head and sighed, "Sakura didn't come back."

Naruto frowned, stomping forward, fists clenched as he glared at the floor, "Just because she didn't come back and isn't answering doesn't mean she's in trouble!"

"It doesn't mean she's fine either, Naruto," Sasuke reasoned earning a glare from his companion for his pessimism; Sasuke nodded his head westward, "We'll just have to go to the Village she was assigned to and investigate, another three hours of travel according to what she said."

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he followed the Uchiha's gaze, crouching low, and ready to leap into action, "We'll make it in two hours."

Sasuke nodded minutely, following the blonde's actions, "Hn. Or less."

The challenging grin couldn't help but cross Naruto's lips, "Yeah! We're coming for you Sakura-chan! Hang in there."

And the two shinobi disappeared in yellow and blue blurs towards the West.

* * *

Sakura warily watched as Dai stood beside the shoji door, the stack of ofudas he had used during the night now tucked away in his back pouch. Unconsciously, the Medic had removed a kunai from her thigh holster – the tenseness in her shoulders returning even after her new companion had thrown her a curious look and opened the paper-partition with little caution. It seemed he was confident that the shadows had left after the morning's arrival but Sakura couldn't help but stay alert, her lack of experience with her current situation keeping her anxious and out of her element; having the kunai in her hand gave her at least _some_ kind of advantage or some semblance of control.

Quietly, she watched Dai poke his head out into the adjacent hallway for a brief moment before stepping out fully, his hand coming up in a gesture to follow. Sakura crept carefully towards the shoji, her fingers clenching and unclenching around her kunai, before finally, she stepped out of the safety of the living room, head whipping around in caution of her surroundings. She was met with nothing but the same homely interior she remembered running through the night before; to her right was the front door, still locked and untouched, and directly in front of her – across from the shoji – was a staircase leading to the second level. Craning her head to gaze up at the top of the staircase she found nothing out of the ordinary. Seeing everything cleared Sakura could feel the tension leaving her shoulders and her armed hand dropped limply to her side.

"Sakura-san."

The Medic turned her head towards Dai's call and froze with returned unease. To her left was the narrow hallway that led to the small kitchen and even from where she stood she could see the back door that Dai had broken open was ajar, leading to the back alley, the wind causing the entryway to swing lightly. Yet, what unnerved her most was the dark trail that led from the opened back door to the hallway she was standing in. A few feet away from her Dai was kneeling beside the trail, examining it but not touching it, his brown brows furrowed before he returned his gaze to her.

"It's probably from the creature that was standing outside the room," Dai stated, "I've seen this trail before…It's water…Water and blood…"

His analysis made Sakura snap to curious attention, her mind whirring with numerous thoughts as she stepped towards the trail and knelt beside it, green orbs narrowed, "…There's dirt too…Soil it looks like, probably from the forest…But this trail looks so dark, _black_…" She looked at Dai, "And you're saying blood? Could you identify whose blood it is?"

Dai paled at her question, his head bowing before he shook his head – not out of not knowing the answer, but more in disbelief – he sighed, "…We ran tests and we found it was a mixture of people's blood…It's the blood of those who have disappeared, blood of those who have died in front of me…Blood of those they feed off of…" He looked up at her, dark blue orbs almost bordering black, "It's _everyone's_ blood."

Sakura swallowed, not liking the answer, not liking what that answer meant and what it could mean for her investigation. With a frown and another glance at the dark trail the kunoichi stood and went back into the living room. Her eyes swept over the room in contemplation before she made her way towards the bookshelf, raking over the various titles before grabbing a few off the shelf and flipping through them, testing out the thickness of the sheets before finding some that fit what she was looking forward – rigid and blank – and ripped three out with ease. Then she walked back towards the hallway as she slipped on one of her black, rubber gloves, brows furrowed as she assessed the trail once more.

Dai watched her silently, one of his brows rose as he observed the Leaf Ninja and the meticulous way she folded her sheets of paper and then ripped each of them into eight, even rectangles making twenty-four total. Sakura then knelt down beside him and the trail, her gloved, right hand slowly but purposefully heading for the black substance, forefinger stretched out.

Sakura didn't know what would happen if she touched the trail – if she couldn't even touch the creature she wondered if there were any consequences touching what it left behind – but risks had to be taken and hopefully her glove could provide enough protection. Holding her breath, she touched the substance – silently wishing she had tools for a proper extraction – and scooped up a tiny blob onto her finger, carrying it over to one of her twenty-four pieces of paper and scraping it against the white surface. It smeared black, some particles of soil were visible and it remained wet, only a tiny amount of crimson could be seen but Sakura could only assume it to be blood.

Sakura continued the process an additional seven times on some of the remaining pieces of paper. Eight were smeared with the substance, black with the occasional red, dismal against the stark white of the leaflet. Dai watched the kunoichi without question, knowing that she needed and wanted as much evidence as she could get. When her extraction was finished, Sakura rummaged through her back pouch and removed a small scroll, rolling the blank parchment out and lining up the eight pieces of paper atop it. Using her ungloved hand – the one she hadn't been using to transfer the trail – she bit into her thumb procuring an outlet for her blood and signed three simple characters on the right side. Instantly the eight pieces melted into the parchment and Sakura grinned as she rolled the scroll up and placed it back in her pouch for safe-keeping and later use. The remaining unused pieces were stored in her belt for additional use also.

"Done," Sakura affirmed as she stood up, carefully removing her glove and heading towards the kitchen to wash it, "Next we should follow the trail, see where it leads to, and then we'll head back to the Clinic to look at Yoshiro's room."

Dai stood, nodding his head in agreement, "Alright…And I'll tell you whatever you need to know. Once you're done here with whatever you want to look at we'll head to my Village. I suggest we hurry so we can leave before night falls…"

Sakura frowned as she packed her gloves into her belt and turned off the water faucet, viridian orbs meeting deep blue, "You said that you have enough wards to stay another night?"

Dai stared at her, confused, "Yeah…" He raised a single brow, "Don't tell me you want to stay_ here_ tonight, I assure you, it's _a lot_ safer in my home Village."

"I believe you, Dai-san," Sakura responded before leaning against the counter, a sigh escaping her lips, "But my teammates think I'm on a simple, healing mission. When I don't show up at our designated spot tomorrow they _will_ come after me; and I _need_ to be here so they don't get hurt…I can't have that happening to them."

Dai watched her, could see the determination and clear care for her comrades shining brightly in her eyes and he couldn't help the subtle tremor that shook his body as he thought about his own past. He covered up the shiver by nodding his head in acquiesce and Sakura answered with a small, grateful smile.

"Don't worry, Dai-san," Sakura declared as she pushed off the counter and began to follow the dark trail to the back door, "My teammates are smart and pretty powerful themselves…They'll be a great asset to this investigation. The more help there is, the better."

"Of course," Dai agreed and followed after her.

Sakura examined the trail as she walked alongside it, its consistency in the form of dark smears, wet, with the occasional crimson of blood. Its trail marks were the result of the object being dragged and the kunoichi could imagine the feminine creature on its stomach, pulling itself along the floor, following after her and Dai in their search for safety. She and Dai kept along the tracks through the alleyway until it went onto the main street, veering right towards the direction of the Bridge and Forest. But Sakura had stopped in her movements, overlooking the trail to take in her surroundings.

The Village looked different in the morning. It almost looked calm and serene, with brightly lit roads, lush green foliage, and blue skies with the occasional fluffy-white cloud. The atmosphere almost looked homely and inviting and Sakura couldn't help but briefly wonder if the night before had really been a dream. However, Dai's presence and her worse-for-wear condition only reminded her that the night before had actually been _real_ and that a problem was still in her hands – a problem that she needed to help solve.

Now was the time to collect evidence, as soon as she could, when its clues were still fresh.

Unfortunately, she only had a few hours to do it – from daybreak until the early afternoon – because once the evening started rolling in so did the tell-tale thick fog and then when darkness descended so did the shadows that wanted to come out to play. Although Sakura had time to do some problem-solving and observation and research with the presence of the cooling mists she didn't want to risk any run-ins with the creatures like she had experienced the day before, running around in circles trying to find children to save only to stumble upon something far more dangerous was not an experience she wanted to relive.

Yes, Sakura would investigate the Village in the morning, the forest in the afternoon and when the evening and mists rolled by so would her long-awaited conversation and interrogation of Makoto Dai.

It was good to have a plan. It was real, it was _solid_, and it _worked_. It had to.

"Sakura-san?"

The Medic returned to reality, snapped out of her musings and threw an apologetic smile toward Dai for her zoning out. Removing her kunai, Sakura resumed her following of the trail, fingers fiddling with her weapon, peripherals attentive of any sudden movements that could prove troublesome for her.

_Troublesome_. Kami, she wished Shikamaru was around, his perception was much sharper than hers and having someone to deliberate and bounce ideas off of was very appealing for a situation like this. She supposed she would have to wait until Naruto and Sasuke got to her.

"Dai-san?"

"Yes?" He responded, picking up his pace to walk alongside her.

She cast him a side-glance before allowing her eyes to follow the trail again, "You said before that you were contemplating Shikamaru, Ino, Neji, and Hinata to aid you with your investigation. I was wondering what your reasons were for considering them."

Dai had gone quiet, brows furrowed in confusion before understanding dawned and he answered thoughtfully, "I considered Nara-san because of his high IQ and high success rate in missions that are similar to this kind of problem – mysteries. Yamanaka-san I believed would be helpful because of her hidden technique, the mind control abilities that her clan is known for; perhaps it would have proved useful by having her look into the minds of the creatures and find any valuable answers but I realized it was too dangerous a risk for her since we hardly know what these things are…If we can't touch the body who knows if the mind is any different…"

Sakura nodded her head, taking in Dai's theories and ideas, adding it to her own speculations; Dai placed his right hand in his pocket and ran his left hand through his shoulder-length locks, "Hyuuga-sans I was considering for their Byakuugan abilities, I was wondering if the creatures exude any type of chakra at all and their bloodline could probably help in discerning that…"

Sakura tilted her head slightly, "So why _me_? Why didn't you call for them?"

"…Nara-san had been my first choice," Dai admitted, a tint of pink on his cheeks in a display of embarrassment that surprised Sakura, "But I've heard rumors about you too, Sakura-san. You're smart and, like I said before, your Medical Knowledge would be very useful. It also was an easy reason to get you here – your healing abilities – for civilians…I apologize again for my deception."

"Oh…" The kunoichi turned this over in her head, not in the least envious of Shikamaru for being first choice – she would have picked him first too – but taking in his words; perhaps she could send for back-up, tell Katsuyu to tell Tsunade to send Shikamaru and at least one Hyuuga; Dai's theory about sensing chakra from the creatures through the Byakuugan was promising.

Katsuyu.

She still needed to summon the large slug to inform Sasuke and Naruto of her whereabouts before they went crazy with worry. Looking up at the rising sun Sakura decided to summon the slug when noon arrived, she wouldn't want her good friend to be waiting numerous hours alone in the forest; Sasuke and Naruto probably weren't going to leave Iwagakure no Sato for another few hours yet, knowing how Naruto liked to sleep in. She briefly touched her ear and sighed, wishing her radio hadn't been lost the night before.

"It leads into the forest…" Dai stated, pulling Sakura once again out of her musings – she really needed to stop doing that – and focused her sights on the Bridge laid out before her.

The trail did indeed cross the Bridge and disappeared into the darkness of the foliage, green trees swaying with the morning wind, and Sakura could feel a shiver crawl up her spine, eyeing the blood trail Yoshiro had left behind the night before. The red trail from Yoshiro and the black trail from the creature were side by side, both heading towards the forest, but on her end of the Bridge, the trails parted ways. The black trail veered left towards the house she and Dai stayed in and the red trail veered right towards the Clinic.

The same questions from the night before entered Sakura's mind again as she looked at the red trail. As she pictured Yoshiro's body, his feet were positioned towards the forest and his head towards where she currently stood. He had been on his stomach, crawling. It seemed – Sakura thought as she eyed the deep crimson – that Yoshiro had been taken from the Clinic and dragged towards the forest.

But…

"_Don't! Don't let them take me! No! Not again! No! Help me!"_

"Not again…" Sakura whispered in remembrance as she knelt beside the blood tracks, "He had been taken – dragged away – from the Clinic but…they stopped for some reason. He started to crawl back, he was trying to get away, and they were _allowing_ it. Why?"

"…_They'll be coming…For me…A-And…They'll be coming for you too…"_

"Did they know I had come? Did they know I was coming?" Sakura questioned with deeply, furrowed brows, her hands already going through the task of taking four pieces of paper and transferring Yoshiro's blood atop it, then securing the evidence in the scroll with the others, "Was _he_ the _trap_?" She stood up, taking in the tracks again and warily eyeing her medical bag and Jounin flak-jacket left behind, untouched; but she didn't feel like getting it, not yet; she turned to Dai, "These creatures are smart, aren't they? They're just limited, like daylight and ofudas…"

Dai nodded, "I don't know the extent of their intellect but yeah, they're pretty smart for such unintelligible creatures."

Sakura didn't know if Dai was making a joke but she couldn't help but agree that what he said was true. Despite that the majority of the creatures' sounds were hissing whispers and groans at least two of them could speak; the feminine shadow that was at the shoji door and the little girl. Maybe those two played a key to the mystery.

"Come on," Sakura sighed as she cast a glance at the two trails and her personal items on the Bridge a final time, her body turning in the direction of the blood trail, set on heading to the Clinic, "We've still got a lot to do…"

The walk towards the Clinic was silent, Sakura pondering over the current situation and Dai watching her with a mixture of curiosity and awe. Yes he was aware that Haruno Sakura was a famed kunoichi and her name's power also equaled those of Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, the teammates he assumed that would be coming to help; another stunning realization for him, to be in their powerful presences. But what was surreal for him was her calm demeanor, something he should have expected from someone of her status, but she was also_ too_ calm, especially for someone that just recently encountered a _Curse_.

Unless she honestly didn't believe in them. He frowned; if that was the case she was going to be in for a rude awakening. He had been witness to these murders for years, this was definitely a _Curse_. After a few more nights in this hell she would begin to realize it; he was just sorry that he would be the reason for it.

"I would imagine a little more questioning from you, Sakura-san," Dai offered kindly, "It's not every day one faces what you just did. I admire the calmness with which you're handling it though."

Sakura responded with a soft snort, a small lift at the corners of her lips, "Oh, you'll be questioned Dai-san, no need to worry about that. And yes, I've never been a situation like this but panicking isn't going to help me any…However, if you were in my head right now I suppose you'd understand just how incredulous and confused I really am."

Dai sighed, "…I know this is annoying Sakura-san, but I really _am_ sorry for this situation."

"Stop apologizing," Sakura snapped, a tad irritated, "You've made it clear you're sorry, I see that. Yeah, I'm upset and for the reasons I said before, it's _difficult_ to help you when I'm thrust into a Mission with such disorganization and little time to research and prepare, _but_ I agreed to help you. I could have left; you're apologizing for dragging me into this, but _I_ _decided_ to stay, _that_ isn't your fault. After seeing what I've seen, I want to help stop these murders too."

Dai was speechless. He had also heard rumors of Haruno Sakura's temper and he had a feeling that what he had just seen wasn't even scratching the surface. So he remained quiet. When the two reached the Clinic, Sakura looked up at the building, blew a strand of pastel-pink from her face, and pushed the doors open.

"It didn't look like this when I left," Dai breathed as he looked at the same upturned chairs and shelves Sakura had seen the night before.

"I'm guessing the creatures did it," Sakura responded as she stepped over a knocked-over couch, avoiding some broken glass, "There's no black trail though…So I'm guessing the shadow at the shoji didn't come in here…I have a feeling that's the only one that leaves the trail…"

They walked through the dim lobby towards the room Sakura had stumbled upon before, the trail by the secretarial counter more prominent in the daylight. The gold numbers 102 shined dully and with a calming breath Sakura pushed the door open, entering into the bloody nightmare with a grimace.

"He didn't listen to me…" Dai whispered as he examined the other side of the door where a ward stuck, "I told him to stay put…He must have opened the door to try to get out…"

"Which in turn, broke the seal – his protection," Sakura finished sadly, walking towards the center of the room where prominent hand prints were visible – it appeared as though Yoshiro was looking for something to grab onto while he was dragged towards the window, "…He must have stepped out of the room, the window opened, they grabbed him and dragged him through the window all the way to the Bridge."

"…They must have tortured him first…" Dai added with disgust, putting a sleeve to his mouth to block the smell as much as he could, cobalt orbs looking at the broken mirror, the shards lying in the sink and on the floor, "He wasn't injured when I locked him in, he was just crazy…Muttering and wide-eyed…"

An influx of questions surged into Sakura's head and she turned to him, lips pulled to a grim line, "How did you know him? Do you know what happened to him? And…Why did you leave him alone?"

She asked in a way that wasn't accusing, just curious, but Dai looked guilty anyway.

"Rain ordered for this village's evacuation a couple weeks ago and Yoshiro-san was left behind," He explained, heading towards the bed where he found more of his wards, "He wasn't fit to travel, dubbed crazy and mentally unstable, so they left him. I didn't know that, I came here to do some investigating since the village was empty, prime opportunity to sneak around without being suspicious but I found Yoshiro-san wandering in a daze. I looked through the Records to find out what happened to him; turns out he was one of the disappearances but he turned up a few weeks later at the Bridge, starved, wounded – they said self-inflicted – and not himself; the doctors thought he just got lost in the woods and was traumatized – he's only a civilian, I suppose a person without training in survival could turn out like that – so they didn't look into it. I wasn't expecting him so I locked him in this room and stayed with him for a few nights since I needed to do some inspection. Then I had to go back to Bird Country to get extra help – Torio can't carry the extra weight and I wouldn't want to have had Yoshiro-san clutched in his talons like he did you, sorry about that too, by the way – and because he was unstable I wanted to transport him in more comfortable means and during the day, so he'd be more at ease," He picked up the used ward and sighed, "I should have just stayed with him an extra night until morning…He was another reason why I called you Sakura-san…When I looked through the Records here I saw your file and forged the Mission Assignment for your assistance…You got here faster than I anticipated, I wasn't expecting you for another few days…I supposed it's a good thing I came back when I did…"

"…Yeah…" Sakura agreed quietly as she took in the new information, the light throbbing in her head warning of a headache to come, "…I suppose so…"

The Medic looked around the gruesome room, taking in the bloody handprints, puddles of the thick crimson stained across the sheets, walls, and floors, and looked out the open window where the trail inevitably led to the Bridge. Her heart was hammering in her chest; even in the safety of the day the shadows haunted her, Yoshiro's wide eyes, begging her to help him and she _couldn't_.

"Kami…" Sakura muttered as she began to mechanically take four pieces of papers' worth of blood samples, labeling them with a pencil she kept in her back pocket.

"They feed off blood," Sakura wanted to reaffirm, flinching as her boots squelched against the wet floors, "They're attracted to blood, right?" Dai nodded in response and Sakura pressed a little further, "But they don't take too well to high-levels of chakra?"

"At least from what we observed," Dai replied, "Only civilian villages have been affected and evacuated and when a shinobi disappears they're usually on low-number patrols or missions. They don't go _near_ any Hidden Villages, their range is only as far as this village, the edge of my village, and the borders of Earth Country…_so far_, I think that range is growing though; this village's recent evacuation is proof of that. But yeah, back to the chakra…The wards I used last night have ten-shinobi's worth of chakra, and I have to use a _minimum_ of fifteen wards to keep them out, any less and they'll find a way to break through…Believe me, I've been through _years_ of any and all attempts to kill these things…Shinobi in Bird Country aren't even volunteering to help out as much anymore and Toki-sama is getting stretched thin with all the problems this is causing."

"Fifteen wards…" Sakura muttered, "That's about one-hundred and fifty shinobi…" She sighed, "I guess it's too much to ask to have so many go through the forest to wipe them out, that's _almost_ an entire war regiment on the same mission…"

"It's hard enough making the wards," Dai added, "It takes time and if shinobi ever volunteer to aid in this problem, it's pretty much just to lend their chakra…Besides, that forest," He pointed out the window to the foliage beyond the Bridge, "Is their playground, these creatures know it well, even if we had so many shinobi go in there it has to be at night – the only time they come out – and darkness is very much their advantage; they'd pick us off one by one…"

"…You sound like you've tried it," Sakura observed; her brow raised in question.

Dai frowned, hand clenching, "…A couple of years ago. There were twenty of us in the group…Only three of us made it out."

"How?" Sakura asked quietly, not wanting to push him but needing to know as much as she could.

"…I summoned Torio…" Dai answered, head bowing in shame, "I summoned Torio and we retreated…"

Sakura bit her bottom lip. She didn't know what to say. She couldn't apologize, it wouldn't make things better and trying to cheer him up would be pointless, his experiences would live with him. Instead, she dropped the subject.

"Let's go," She declared, walking towards the door, wanting to leave the bloody scene behind her, "We're going to the forest…Maybe there's more clues in there."

Dai followed with a nod of his head.

* * *

**A/N:** So yeah…I kind of got carried away with this story over the weekend and ended up typing out this chapter and the next one. _So_, I hope you aren't mad that **It All Started With**, **False Façade**, and **Forbidden Bonds** weren't updates but rest-assured, those chapters are what I am currently working on. So, I've decided to upload this one, I will upload **Chapter Seven** sometime this weekend and along with **Chapter Seven** will also be updates for **IASW**, **FF**, and **FB**. So bear with me, I really appreciate your patience and support and I will work extra hard this week to get these chapters out to you, until then, I hope you enjoy **The Curse**'s update and _please_ drop a **review** with feedback and constructive criticism, I really want to get this **Horror** down right.

**P.S.** Yeah…Sasuke and Naruto reappeared, but not _with_ Sakura. Don't worry though, we're getting there. I'm trying to make sure I'm laying out the plot-work right and creating an interesting storyline. _Let me know what you think, yeah?_

And yeah, for those still wondering, yes there will be **Sasuke/Sakura Romance**, haha.

**Disclaimer:** Kishimoto-san will not give them up so easily…

**Next Chapter: **_Reunion_.

Thanks again for all the support and feedback, those who are reading and especially to those who have reviewed, **this chapter is Dedicated To You!**

**Oh!** And I plan on sending out some **Pokémon (AAML)**, **Fullmetal Alchemist (EdWin)**, and **Final Fantasy VII (CloudTifa)** Fictions too, so if you're FANS, please check them out! :)

**You Are All The Best! And Feel Free To PM Me About Recent Naruto Manga Chapters Too! Heehee!**

**With Love!  
**_Luvinukag83  
aka Len83_

_**Please Check Out My Profile and Other Fictions! Thank You!**_

_**:D**_


	7. Reunion

**The Curse**

_**Chapter Seven: Reunion**_

Naruto was really pushing his body past his usually high limits and even in his peripheral vision Sasuke was starting to break a sweat; the Uchiha's dark orbs were narrowed and his lips were pulled down into a deep frown as opposed to the usual apathetic look he wore whenever they traveled. They had been running for an hour, halfway towards their destination. It didn't help Naruto's mood that the weather kept changing so abruptly; one minute it's sunny, then it starts raining, and then it becomes sunny _and_ raining!

What kind of place _is_ this?

Sasuke didn't seem to be fairing any better; occasionally he would make the most random grunts and throw the scenery the fiercest glare as if it was the main reason Sakura was missing. Naruto pretty much ignored him, tried not to count down the seconds, and ran towards whatever point was farthest and when he got there he'd just zone in on the farthest point again.

A noise startled Naruto from his reverie and his azure orbs darted towards Sasuke to find the ex-Avenger unaware of the blonde's surprise. They were a good few yards apart but they were close enough to be aware of each other's movements and Naruto could have sworn the noise he heard was loud enough for both of them to hear.

The noise started up again, this time louder and Naruto flinched, his hand automatically moving towards his ear, sweaty fingers brushing against the cool plastic of his earpiece. Immediately his eyes widened and he pressed the button, trying to obtain some sort of connection.

"Sakura-chan?" He called out desperately, eyes wide, speed slowing a fraction and catching Sasuke's attention, the Uchiha also pressing into his radio upon Naruto's inquiry, "Sakura-chan? Are you there? I can't hear you!"

"_Dobe, what are you doing?"_ The Uchiha grunted into his communications device, his form steadily getting closer to Naruto.

"You didn't hear it?" Naruto growled in disbelief, "I heard noises coming from this stupid thing! It's got to be Sakura-chan!"

"_You could be picking up stray radio waves,"_ Sasuke informed him bluntly.

"No I'm _not_!" Naruto argued and his running stopped dead when a light voice, completely opposite of Sasuke's deep baritone, echoed through his earpiece; Sasuke stopped his running also, making his way towards Naruto with an irritated glare on his expression, "Sakura-chan?"

"_Ha…Ha…Ha…Ha…Turn around while you still can…"_ The light voice answered him; blonde brows furrowing, Naruto's blue orbs found Sasuke but the Uchiha didn't seem to be hearing in his radio what he was.

Fumbling for the button on his collar, Naruto growled, "Who the _hell_ are you? Where's Sakura-chan? Answer me!"

"Who are you talking to?" Sasuke snarled in irritation, clearly wanting to get a move on.

"There's a girl on my radio," Naruto replied with a frown, "She's telling me to turn back! Like hell I am!"

"I don't hear a girl, _dobe_," The Uchiha countered.

"Well, _I do_!" The blonde retorted.

"_Ha…Ha…Ha…Turn back now or we'll get you too…She's ours…Ha…Ha…Haruno Sakura is ours…She'll play with us…She will…Ha…Ha…"_ The static was starting to overtake the voice and Naruto pressed determinedly into the device.

"You give her back! If you touch her I'll make you regret it!" Naruto yelled into his radio, Sasuke watching with a mixture of confusion and annoyance, fingers toying with the dial of his own radio to see if he could find and hear exactly what Naruto was hearing.

"_Ha…Ha…Ha…Turn back…Turn back…Ha…Ha…"_

"I _won't_!" Naruto shouted, earning another glare from Sasuke.

"_Turn back!"_ Naruto's eyes widened as he heard the light voice transform into something more throaty, still feminine but more dark and menacing, _"Her blood is mine! Turn back! Both of you turn back!"_

Naruto could see Sasuke's eyes widen also and assumed that his comrade could now hear the same voices he was. It had addressed them both; it was likely they were getting through to Sasuke's radio too.

"_Haruno Sakura is ours to play with…Leave now, you can't have her…Ha…Ha…"_ The lighter voice had returned, tone sweet but words deadly.

"The _hell_–" Sasuke growled.

"_Ha…Ha…Ha…HA…HA…HA HA HA!"_ The volume of the broken laughter increased until the device couldn't take it anymore and the feedback resulted in such a high pitch both Naruto and Sasuke had to pull the radios out of their ears to prevent their organs from bleeding.

"Fuck!" Naruto shouted as he stared at the device, waiting a few moments before returning it to his ear only to find that the sound had blown out, "What the _fuck_!"

"So she's captured," Sasuke concluded gravely, staring at the radio in his hand, "But it sounds like she's alive…They didn't speak as if they killed her."

"No, they said they wanted to _play_ with her and wanted her _blood_!" Naruto corrected with a touch of disgust, "What the heck _was_ that? I mean, a _little girl_?"

"It's a radio, _dobe_," Sasuke stated, "The static probably distorted the voice a bit; a little girl wouldn't be capable of that."

"I don't know…" Naruto replied skeptically.

"Come on, we've lost enough time as is," The Uchiha urged before he jumped back into the trees, Naruto already matching stride with him, "When we get there and scope out what's going on that's when we'll figure out a plan of action. We don't know what we're dealing with here and we shouldn't go barging in without a strategy."

Naruto nodded, hand clenching around his earpiece, effectively breaking it, "Right."

* * *

Sakura stood above her medical bag and Jounin flak-jacket with a frown. Jade eyes looked over the items thoughtfully, the blood smeared across her belongings and the fact that they sat atop the trail Yoshiro left behind made her hesitant to touch it. Blood never bothered the Medic before, she dealt with it every day – in the Hospital, on field missions, even when healing up Sasuke and Naruto after a particularly aggressive sparring match – but _now_, taking in the sight of the thick, crimson liquid covering the objects that displayed her Rank and profession as a Medical Ninja made the fact that she _failed_ to save Satsuma Yoshiro that much more prominent.

Kami, she hated failing in saving lives…

Shaking her head to rid her of such cynical thoughts, Sakura turned away from her belongings deciding to pick them up later – as well as give them a thorough washing – after her investigation in the Tri-Point Forest. Again, her kunai had been removed; walking through the open streets of the Border Village was one thing, but hiking through the maze that was a forest riddled with dark nooks and crannies was something else entirely. Her scroll, carrying her trusted Battle Axe, was within hand's quick reach and after a firm nod towards Dai – the boy also armed cautiously – they followed the trail left behind by the creature.

It was a little reassuring hearing the birds singing in the trees and Sakura kept in mind that animals did have senses sensitive to other creatures, and the unusual, so she remained aware of their songs and the off-chance that when they suddenly went quiet something could be wrong. Her eyes were darting everywhere as she walked: to the trail, the surrounding trees, to Dai, any sudden movements from squirrels and other critters, and also to Yoshiro's blood trail that was still parallel to the darker tracks. The tension in her shoulders was tight and her limbs were just itching to react to anything out of the ordinary.

Even Sakura wasn't completely sure what she was looking for in the Forest. She had been blind to the darkness when she ran after Yoshiro so she didn't know the exact direction she went, and she wasn't even sure if there was going to be anything left to find if the creatures hadn't disposed of it themselves already. Kami, Sakura didn't even want to_ think_ about _how_ anything would have been disposed of by such…_demons_.

So, for now, the only lead she and Dai had were the two trails: Yoshiro's blood trail and the creature's dark trail.

"It separates…" Dai stated just as they entered into a relatively small clearing. The tracks did, indeed, part ways at the foot of a tall tree, the blood trail going left and the dark trail going right. The tracks themselves were becoming harder to discern amongst the dirt and rocks of the forest, but the blood was still bright; and the moisture from the water of the creature's trail was still distinguishable also.

"Then we'll separate too," Sakura answered, looking at Dai, the boy's features unsure, "I'll follow the dark trail and you follow Yoshiro's," She rummaged through her belt and produced two flares, handing Dai one of them, "If you run into trouble, you call for my help with _this_; you find anything worth seeing, you call for me with this, got it?"

"But, what about–?"

"They don't come out in daylight hours, right?" Sakura acknowledged earning an agreeing nod from her companion; she grinned, "Then we should have nothing to worry about. Find out where it leads, that's all. We'll meet back here in half an hour, agreed?"

"…Okay," The Chuunin answered hesitantly, obviously uncertain but obliging.

Sakura smirked and offered him a two-finger salute before turning right, following after the darker trail. Dai watched her for a couple of seconds, frowning, before he sighed and turned left, staying close the crimson tracks.

"…Alright, let's see where you lead to…" Sakura muttered before she started up a light jog, kunai still grasped firmly in her right hand and emerald orbs still narrowed in complete awareness.

Her trail was pretty straight-forward, no sudden twists and turns and it was heading directly north-west. The tracks were becoming less visible and a sudden thought struck Sakura. She wondered how fast these creatures were, she didn't know if what she was following was a result of the creature _coming after_ her and Dai the night before or a result of it _leaving_ the house. Could it be both? A set trail maybe? But when the shadows left that morning, when they all faded away with the coming of day, it had been a quick transition. Not a minute after the creatures left the sun had risen; they couldn't have moved _that_ fast at this amount of distance in under a minute, could they?

Sakura scowled, this investigation was irritating her more with each passing second. Sighing, she thought about what Sasuke and Naruto might think and what their guesses about this problem might be. She had yet to summon Katsuyu, deciding to do it after she and Dai left the Forest, that way, after she got enough clues from all the places she planned to examine, she could relay some of the information to another of Katsuyu's duplicates who would then report it to Tsunade.

"I wonder how much back-up Shishou is willing to send…" Sakura whispered thoughtfully to herself, "Another Team would be useful…Shikamaru and Neji maybe? I think I should just_ write out_ a report and have Katsuyu-sama deliver it instead…"

_CRACK!_

Sakura stopped, head whipping around as her armed hand moved up on the defensive. Emerald eyes swiftly scanned her surroundings finding nothing out of the ordinary before they darted towards the ground where the sound had originated from. She knew she had stepped on something, she had felt it under the sole of her boot; she was just making sure she hadn't sprung a trap.

Slowly lowering her hand, stance still cautious, Sakura walked towards the object she had stepped on, the item hidden under dirt and dry leaves. After slipping on her gloves Sakura used her right hand to brush the soil away and picked up the broken article, brows furrowed as she examined it closely.

Her radio.

The kunoichi frowned as she stood, spinning the gadget in front of her and deeming it beyond repair, unfortunate that it was broken because it would have proved useful in contacting anyone, especially Naruto and Sasuke. She sighed, pocketing the device before continuing her pursuit of the trail.

She ran another few-hundred yards before the forest floor began to steepen steadily into a small valley, the foliage was becoming thicker and it was getting harder to maneuver through the surrounding trees, the track itself was even difficult to see in the darkness that this new part of the forest provided. So, Sakura stopped running. She stood warily at the opening of this new thickened area of the woods, eyeing the trail disappearing in the darkness, wondering if this provided another limit for the shadows: was it dark enough in there for them to hide from the daylight? If she stepped in would she be grabbed by those shadowed hands? Was that where they resided, was there something deeper in there or on the other side?

Kami, if something was hiding in there she was tempted to just light a match and burn them all back to the hell that they came from.

_But_, all she had were assumptions. The trail _led_ there, it didn't mean they _resided_ there. She wasn't about to blow up a large part of the forest based on a speculation. Three countries wouldn't appreciate her destroying a portion of their lands anyway.

With a determined crease of her brow Sakura twirled her kunai with a flourish and walked towards the nearest tree she stood by. With a grunt she began to carve a symbol into the bark of the trunk, one that was large, recognizable, and clearly visible from far away. An arrow, a simple arrow that pointed towards the darkened foliage. She didn't have enough time and the resources to inspect something so suspicious and quite-possibly dangerous, and the trail wasn't going to last forever. Until she was prepared she would mark this area for future investigation.

The ANBU Medic headed to a few more trees, carving out the same symbol pointing towards the foliage. Calling up chakra to her right fist after holstering her kunai Sakura headed to the center of the clearing and punched the ground, creating a crater that would be visible from the sky – Torio was going to be of additional use later.

And, for good measure, Sakura knocked down a tree, because the ground hadn't been enough to release all of her recently built up frustrations and it felt a little good to let some of it out. The experience of having chakra flowing through her body towards her fist and then set loose into a destructive blow was quite calming for the Medic. Allowing a heavy exhale and small grin for her progressive work she assessed the clearing one last time before throwing one last glance at the darkened woods and turned on her heel back towards the designated spot to meet with Dai.

"Hm, maybe Dai has a little more information about that area anyway," Sakura muttered as she followed the tracks back the way she came.

However, the kunoichi's thoughts were cut short when she heard an echoing _boom_, eyes lifting up at the sky to see the tell-tale red flare heading back to the ground. Without a second thought Sakura was running at flash-speed, chakra pumping towards her feet as she removed her kunai, jumping over large boulders and fallen trees, wondering what kind of trouble Dai had run into. Luckily, she hadn't been too far from his location, possibly five-hundred yards away, and when she crashed into the clearing, one hand holding a kunai and the other bordered in blue chakra, she was surprised to see Dai jump with startle at her entrance, his eyes wide.

"What's the problem?" Sakura breathed, viridian orbs darting everywhere before looking over the Chuunin to assess his wellbeing. He seemed unharmed; actually, he seemed just the way she had left him, and the tension in her body left her as her arms fell limply to her sides, "Dai-san?"

"No problem, Sakura-san," Dai assured quickly, hands up in surrender, "You told me to call you when there was something worth seeing."

Sakura sucked in a breath and closed her eyes, _'Right…'_

This Mission really had her on edge, didn't it?

"Right…" Sakura exhaled, echoing her thoughts; she opened her eyes, "Alright, what'd you find?"

"This…" Dai responded instantly, pointing to the ground and stepping aside.

Sakura's eyed widened in distress. Blood. _More_ blood. It was blood covering the entirety of the clearing. Did Yoshiro really lose that much of his life; did his body really hold that much scarlet-liquid? First the clear torture displayed at the scene of the clinic and now _this_? Her eyes darted towards the edge of the open space where a trail of the substance started and Sakura could only assume that it was the same trail that led Dai to this spot.

Satsuma Yoshiro's life had ended _here_ and Dai and Sakura had walked through the journey of his death from the room at the clinic to this very clearing, following a trail of liquid that slowly left the man's body, taking him away from the world in the most brutal of ways.

She was beginning to feel queasy.

"It goes in about seven different directions…" Dai observed as he walked around, pointing to each, "A droplet track here, something dragged away over there, smaller blood paths heading that way," He frowned, looking back at the pale Medic, "He was taken to this clearing and was _ripped apart_. I tried following each of them but they all end within feet of this area…I'm guessing they _devoured_ him."

Sakura wanted to throw-up.

"…Okay…" She whispered, taking in his analysis before she straightened and began to do her own examination, "Okay…so there's nothing left of him. _Kami_," She shook her head and plowed on with her inspection, "…Kami…"

Yes, there were trails that spread out to different sides of the clearing, some smaller than others. Pieces of cloth – Yoshiro's clothing most likely – were also scattered around but what caught Sakura's attention was one of the larger trails, not as thick as the one they had been following through the Forest but at least two-thirds the size. She tilted her head, eyes narrowed, following the scarlet track until it continued up the bark of the tree and then disappeared amongst the leaves and branches above.

"Sakura-san?" Dai called out.

"…Something might be up there," Sakura answered, pointing to the canopy for Dai's benefit; she rolled up her sleeves, tightened her ponytail, and removed two kunai, crouching low, ready to jump into the branches, "I'm going to check it out."

Dai jogged towards her eyeing the tree, frowning, "Should I go with you?"

"No, just stay down here for back-up, I'll be okay," She threw him another one of her reassuring smiles and jumped without another word, the leaves rustling at her entrance.

The tree was large and pretty old which meant a lot of branches and a lot of leaves. Sakura felt a little cramped as she maneuvered herself higher, grabbing onto sturdy limbs before she hefted herself to the next level. Dai remained at the base of the tree, looking up, trying to catch a glimpse of movement or a flash of pink but not seeing any.

"Anything?" Dai asked loudly, cupping a hand to his mouth.

Sakura grunted, freeing her shirt from a sharp twig and mechanically shook her head, "Not yet!" She would have given up after seeing how massive a maze the tree made but the occasional smudge of blood seen on a few boughs she passed was reason enough for her to keep going.

Higher the kunoichi went, occasionally scraping her skin against rough bark but continuing on in determination. Looking up Sakura assessed her direction and tilted her head when she saw a brief flash hidden amongst a cluster of leaves. Curious, Sakura moved towards it. She had traveled another few levels of limbs and branches when she was just feet away from where she saw the brief glint. Warily, Sakura grabbed the bunch of leaves and slowly moved it aside.

She found her Lantern.

"…What are _you_ doing _here_?" Sakura whispered, confused, "I…I could have _sworn_ I left you on the Bridge…"

Right?

"Sakura-san?" Dai called again, sounding a little stressed, "You okay up there?"

"I'm fine!" She replied hurriedly, "I found my lantern though!" She tugged on it, but it didn't move, caught amongst the branches, "It's stuck, I'm going to try to pull it out!"

"Alright!"

Sakura tugged the lantern again, the limbs attached to it keeping it in place and although the kunoichi wanted to use her chakra-powered strength she didn't want to risk breaking the thing either, it could be useful for when they stayed another night, she doubted candles would be entirely sufficient.

Below, Dai was still looking up at the tree, and he had yet to catch a glimpse of Sakura's pink hair. However, he could hear the rustling from where he stood but he was curious as to why it was taking so long for her to free the object. He was about to call up and offer some help when something wet dropped on his face. Startled, Dai brought his hand up and dragged his fingers across his left cheek, where he had felt the sudden touch.

He pulled back his hand and saw red.

"…Blood?" He looked up again, confused, hearing Sakura grunt in annoyance, "Sakura-san?"

Above, Sakura could feel irritation building up for Dai's constant checking-up, "What?" She gave the lantern a final yank and it completely gave way, the sudden freedom causing Sakura to stumble back, her shoulder finding purchase on a branch, preventing her from falling over, but before Sakura even had time to smile in triumph, something also followed the freedom of the lantern.

A dark form fell from above, attached to the lantern, falling into Sakura who had gone wide-eyed as she stared into a dark, bloody, socket-less face. Frightened, the Medic yelped, throwing her free arm up, kunai sinking into the intruding corpse – it had to be a corpse, she thought, the smell indicated that – before she lost her footing and slipped off the bough, plunging to the ground below, limbs and branches snapping under her weight, small twigs lacerating her skin as she passed, the extra weight stuck to her like a second skin.

She screamed.

"Sakura-san!" Dai shouted in alarm, looking up at the branches, hearing the snapping of bark and seeing the rustle of leaves with her approach, "Sakura-san!"

The kunoichi fell into Dai, the boy falling on his back, both robbed of their breath. Sakura could feel pain shoot up her side from her fall and the sting of her cuts but the weight atop her terrified her more. With a sharp inhale she shoved the corpse off her, rolled off of Dai, and backed away from the lantern and its accessory on hands and rear, eyes wide, her breathing coming out in quick gasps.

Kami, she was _hyperventilating_.

Dai was a little slower, coughing to try and regulate his breathing after the impact of Sakura falling atop him, but his eyes were trained on the mangled corpse that had been thrown a few meters away from him. He paled upon seeing the full-extent of the damage. It was Satsuma Yoshiro alright, he could recognize the belt, but he was almost indistinguishable. The corpse's arms were gone, only one leg remained attached to the torso but the foot was missing; his expression was forever twisted into that of pain, his mouth wide in a silent scream. His eyes were gone and he was covered in blood, both dried and wet.

Then Dai heard the quick breathing and switched his gaze to the Konoha Leaf Ninja, wanting to ascertain her condition. She was visibly shaken, trying her best to regulate her breathing but her emerald orbs were trained on the corpse, wide and afraid. It was truly the most sign of fear he had seen from her since meeting her and it was a little disconcerting that someone so strong could break down. However, he reminded himself that what they were facing _wasn't_ normal.

Dai stood, moved towards her cautiously – glancing at the corpse warily making sure it was dead – and knelt beside her. She had gotten control of her breathing by now but her head was bowed, resting between her knees, elbows atop her knees and hands running through her hair. An occasional shudder shook her body but she was calming and that brought a wave of relief to the Bird Chuunin.

"…I'm okay," Sakura answered quietly, before Dai could even ask, "…Just surprised…I'm fine."

"…Alright…"

She lifted her head and stared at the corpse, her features neutral, so blank that Dai didn't know what to make of it. It didn't help that Sakura was covered in blood, her entire front drenched in the substance, her face smeared with it; even a few tendrils of hair were highlighted in red. The kunoichi noticed it too, glancing at her gloves, the scarlet hard to see against the black rubber, but there.

Finally, emotion was present, and Sakura frowned, standing up, eyes never straying from the corpse, "…They planted that…Why else put the lantern there but to try to scare the shit out of us?" Her brows creased harshly, angered, "Well, fuck that," Dai's eyes widened at her sudden coarse language and watched as she looked around as if others were watching them – maybe they _were_, "I'll find you!" She shouted, and then her voice lowered darkly, "Fuck a _Curse_…I'll figure out what's _really_ going on…And when I do, they'll regret ever pulling a stunt like _this_."

"…Sakura-san?" Dai asked hesitantly, hoping he wasn't losing the kunoichi to insanity.

"We're taking him with us," The Medic stated as she pointed at the corpse, "I'll perform an autopsy once we find shelter."

"…Right!" Dai agreed before he began rummaging through his pouches for a spare inventory scroll or even a _bag_.

Sakura, however, walked towards the corpse and removed the lantern from its grip, staring down on Satsuma Yoshiro with a mixture of pity and disdain.

"We'll find your killer, Yoshiro-san…" She whispered, "…I promise."

* * *

Sasuke frowned as he crouched low against the top of the grassy hill overlooking the Rain Border Village. One glance and he could already see that the village had been evacuated, corresponding with what the Tsuchikage had told him and Naruto. It looked peaceful enough, nothing like the kind of town that would be ravaged with deaths and disappearances, but there never really was a trend for those kinds of things, was there? People died and people disappeared, simple as that. Unfortunately, his female teammate had joined the statistics and, hopefully, she was still on the latter list.

"Perimeter looks clear, no one's around," Naruto stated as he appeared beside the Uchiha, brows furrowed in confusion, "I couldn't check the west end because of a valley but I saw a bridge that went across it…There's something on the bridge but I couldn't make it out; it's too far to see."

"A body?" Sasuke offered, activating his Sharingan, crimson orbs scanning the empty, lifeless streets.

"Too small," Naruto replied before he clenched his hand, "Unless it's that _little girl_ on the _radio_…"

"Naruto," The ex-Avenger sighed, exasperated, "A little girl couldn't have–"

"Hey, Itachi was a kid when he did you-know-what all those years ago," The blonde argued though he had the courtesy to look ashamed for mentioning the older Uchiha's name when Sasuke threw a fierce glare at him.

"Itachi was _different_," He defended, hand clutching the hilt of his Kusanagi, "He was _ordered_ to massacre the Clan. What reason would a little girl have for abducting people?"

"Um, maybe, because she's _crazy_!" The self-proclaimed future Hokage whispered loudly.

Sasuke shook his head, rolling his eyes, "You forget there were _two_ voices on the radio. There's a group of them. Little girl or not they've got to be dangerous if they took out Sakura."

"_Captured_ Sakura," Naruto corrected, "She's _not dead_!"

"You know what I meant, _dobe_!" Sasuke countered in irritation, and before Naruto could fire back a reply the Uchiha was already creeping down the slope of the hill, staying as quiet as possible, still alert for any surprise attacks. Naruto followed close behind, a scowl on his lips.

"Are you sure there's no one around?" The Sharingan-User inquired as he leaned against the wall of a building, peering around the corner to find empty streets once again, "This seems too easy."

"Positive," Naruto answered, closing his eyes, "Kyuubi says he doesn't feel any chakra around here either," He frowned and looked at the ex-Avenger, "You think they took her away someplace else?"

"It's a possibility, though it makes it harder for _us_," He stepped out into the open, slowly walking down the street, Sharingan spinning and hand still clenched around the hilt of his Grass Cutter, "We should look around for clues…"

"Let's start at the Bridge!" Naruto suggested eagerly, jogging after him, azure orbs also darting around uneasily at the too-quiet streets, "I want to know what's on it."

Sasuke nodded, seeing as that was as good a start as any. If there weren't any clues to find at the Bridge then the next best place to go was the Clinic, Sakura _had_ to have gone there to find patients or injured. In reality, knowing her, it wouldn't be a far bet to check the Village's Administrations Building either. Her personality called for curiosity and she'd be the type to head over there to find Records about what happened.

The Uchiha sighed. Why was it that he and his teammates were _always_ thrust into the most bothersome of problems?

"What the–?" Naruto whispered, stopping in his tracks causing Sasuke to look ahead to see what caught his comrade's attention.

What he found was not something that could reassure him of Sakura's safety.

Far from it.

Two trails, one as red as his infamous Sharingan and the other as black as the night; there was no doubt that the red was blood but the darker substance he was unsure about; dirt maybe? Both converged from different sides of the Bridge before running parallel across it, disappearing inside the depths of the forest on the other side. Instantly, Naruto and Sasuke were on high alert, darting their gazes around as they slowly moved closer towards the wooden walkway.

"See anything?" Naruto asked, "Feel anything?"

"Nothing."

Both were frowning, still cautious as they moved, until Naruto's azure orbs landed on the objects lying atop the blood trail at the middle of the Bridge. He scanned it quickly, his mind registering a messenger bag and a green flak-jacket.

A _Leaf Ninja_ flak-jacket.

"Sakura-chan!" The blonde breathed before running off towards the piled objects, eyes wide as he took in the blood-drenched items, "…Sak–?"

Sasuke came up behind him, obsidian orbs trained intensely on the bag and flak-jacket, lips pulled into a thin line, "…Naruto…"

"She can't be dead," Naruto growled lowly, blue orbs flashing red, "She _can't_ be…This _isn't_ her blood!" He looked up at Sasuke, cobalt orbs pleading, "Right, teme?"

The Uchiha didn't know what to say. He _couldn't_ say _anything_. He looked at the blood trail and stared. Images of Sakura's smiling face were flickering quickly through his mind and his clenched hand around Kusanagi tightened with his increasing anger. His obsidian orbs followed the blood trail until he was looking at the entrance of the Forest; Naruto's statements of denial echoing in his head.

Sakura couldn't be dead.

"Fuck, we weren't _fast enough_!" Naruto shouted in self-deprecation; Sasuke in silent agreement beside him, inwardly berating himself for not pressing about a problem the same night she voiced hers, for not _being there_ when she needed them.

A rustle in the foliage caught Sasuke's attention and his hand instantly unsheathed Kusanagi a fraction, ready to spill blood, the Avenger in him resurfacing. Naruto had noticed the sound too and was beginning to growl lowly beside him, crouched and ready to pounce on whatever emerged. For what seemed like hours the two comrades stood side-by-side ready to enact vengeance for their fallen companion, ready to take out whoever had taken her from them.

Two figures emerged and Sasuke unsheathed his katana completely while Naruto could feel a Rasengan forming in his outstretched palm.

The figures stopped at the end of the Bridge, noticing their presence and both Leaf Shinobi crouched, ready to lunge.

"…Naruto? Sasuke-kun?"

The light, hesitant, hopeful, _desperate_ voice stopped them and began to focus their hazy-red visions. That voice was _familiar_. Sharingan began to spin lazily and flickering-red returned to bright blue. One figure stepped forward, hesitant and unsure.

"Guys? Is that you?"

And then they saw the _pink_, buried beneath the scarlet blood, brilliant viridian watering up with tears of relief, a smile breaking out against her red-stained face.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto whispered.

And then she ran towards them and Naruto was quick to respond, running just as fast – if not _faster_ – towards her. The two collided and Sakura's arms were tight around Naruto's waist, his arms squeezing around her shoulders. Her head was buried in his chest, transferring blood onto his green, flak-jacket, and his face was buried in her pink hair, taking her in. They were talking but Sasuke was too far to hear though his eyes were discerning her appearance, frowning as he realized the state she was in, dirtied and bloodied with bruises and cuts, though it seemed the blood wasn't _entirely _hers.

As he returned Kusanagi to its sheath obsidian orbs flickered over to the second figure, the male who had emerged with her, and his eyes narrowed, taking in his less-than-injured state, though a large bag was slung over the boy's shoulder. He looked their age, was dressed like a shinobi – but he couldn't see an official headband – and he was watching Sakura, his eyes softened as he examined the interaction she had with Naruto.

Introductions would indeed have to be made later.

"Sasuke-kun!"

Warm yet fragile arms wrapped around his middle and Sasuke looked down at the mop of pink, blood-covered hair, the woman's eyes closed and a small smile on her expression as she buried her face into his shoulder. As the tension left his body, peripherals catching Naruto grinning at the two widely, he allowed a long and deep exhalation to exit his nose, closing his eyes as he wrapped one arm around her shoulders.

Having her in his hold was proof-enough that she was alive. Inhaling deeply and taking in her cherry-blossom scent was another reassuring sign that she was safe.

"I'm so glad you're both here…" She whispered, "You wouldn't believe what I've been through…"

Sasuke's embrace tightened a fraction, "Hn. Tell us _everything_. We're here to help you now."

Sakura pulled away, but only enough to look up at him; her arms stayed tight around him and his arm remained around her. Naruto came up beside Sasuke and she smiled at them both.

"…Thanks for coming for me," She laughed lightly, "I knew you would," She leaned her head against Sasuke's shoulder again, looking up at Naruto and seeing Dai coming closer in her minor vision, "I've got a lot to tell you…And I'm going to need all the help I can get."

Naruto grinned as he placed his hand on Sakura's head, languidly ruffling her tresses and Sasuke not minding that he was pretty much supporting the kunoichi's body weight – she was more exhausted than she realized.

"Don't worry Sakura-chan," Naruto declared, "Team Seven is on the job!" He winked causing a smile to curl her lips, "It's the S-Ranked Mission we've been waiting for after all."

Yeah, Kakashi _really was_ missing out.

* * *

**A/N:** Yay! So I got out the next chapter of **The Curse** and Team Seven was _REUNITED_! Hope you all like it so far, so now that our lovable characters are back together let the **Horror **(and _Romance_) BEGIN! Muahahahaha! Oh, and sorry guys for the coarse language exhibited by Naruto-kun, this Fiction is rated **M** for a reason. So, please let me know what you think so far and I would love to hear from you!

Bee, tee, dubs (btw)...**It All Started With** has also been _Updated_, **Missing In Action** will be making an appearance, a Plot Bunny Idea was added to **Keep or Scrap?, **and **False Facade **and **Forbidden Bonds** will be updated sometime within the next two days, _so_ keep a look out!

**And** a _**Big Thank You**_ to **_ohwhatsherface_** for adding this story to the C2 Community _**ohwhatsherfavorites**_, I mean, **_I_** follow that community and you can imagine my surprise when I opened up my email message of a new addition and it was _this_ story, so **_thank you again_**, I'm truly honored! :)

**Disclaimer:** *Pout*

**Next Chapter:** _Debriefing_

_**And**_! If anyone is confused about the Mapping of this story, I'd recommend checking out the World Map at (www . leafninja . com) Just take out the parentheses and spaces, it's where I get a lot of my _**Naruto Information**_! :)

_**BIG THANK YOU**_ to everyone who has reviewed and read my fiction(s), I appreciate your support and feedback! You're all _**AWESOME**_!

**Oh!** One last thing! Anyone got a _**Twitter?**_ I made one for the sole purpose of making friends who have the same interests as me (Naruto, Inuyasha, Fullmetal Alchemist, Final Fantasy VII, Anime in general), let me know, I'm open to new friendships and whatever, up to you, just **PM** me or drop a **review! **Happy reading everyone!

**_LotzaLove!_**

**_Luvinukag83_**  
**_aka Len83_**


	8. Debriefing

**The Curse**

_**Chapter Eight: Debriefing**_

Sakura couldn't help but sigh once more in absolute relief as she tightened her hold around Sasuke's torso, breathing in his familiar scent, taking comfort in the secure hold he had around her shoulders, and listening to Naruto's deep yet soothing voice drift through her ears. Admittedly, her body weight was sagging completely into Sasuke's form, the exhaustion from not sleeping during the night catching up with her; it also didn't help that Sasuke felt so comfortable and _warm_, the simple air of confidence he always carried making her feel safe and taken care of, as if _nothing_ could touch her, and with Naruto's additional presence, it made Sakura feel almost invincible.

"And you are?" Sasuke's deep baritone questioned, the rumble transferring over to the tired kunoichi, her eyes slowly fluttering open as focus began to return to her, mind processing the Uchiha's inquiry.

"Makoto Dai," Another resonant voice responded and Sakura reluctantly pulled away from Sasuke's chest to make formal introductions; she didn't mind when Sasuke's arm chose to remain around her shoulders, her body really did need something to lean on, "…You must be Sakura-san's teammates. She was confident you'd come to find her."

"Of course we would!" Naruto declared, his arms crossed over his chest as sapphire eyes critically studied the boy, "So what's _your_ story? Why are you with Sakura-chan?"

A flash of guilt passed Dai's dark-blue eyes, his gaze switching to the floor in shame, "…I…I called Sakura-san here…"

Sasuke's obsidian orbs narrowed accusingly, "So you're the one who sent her the false Mission Assignment."

Sakura's brows furrowed, viridian orbs gazing up at him, "How did you know it was false?"

"Hn," Sasuke replied instead, the Medic's own indirect confirmation enough to judge for himself; he glared at Dai, "You put my teammate in _danger_ with a false Assignment. With whatever has been going on around here you could have gotten her _killed_."

Dai frowned, "I know it was risky but I _need_ Sakura-san's help and going through the formal process of requesting for her aid would have taken longer than I wanted. It was not my intention to put her in harm's way–"

"You sent her on a Mission she wasn't prepared for," Sasuke growled, his anger mounting at the boy's naivety, "Seeing what I see now, seeing her covered in _blood_, you should expect nothing _less_ than how I'm reacting."

"Please calm down, Sasuke-kun," Sakura pleaded softly, her left arm winding around his waist while her right hand pat his torso, "I'm okay, alright?"

"Says the one covered in blood," The Uchiha pointed out, his dark gaze shifting to her.

"Sasuke's got a point though," Naruto agreed as he studied Dai with narrowed orbs, expression skeptical; he panned his gaze to Sakura, "We thought you disappeared, Sakura-chan. The Tsuchikage told us about disappearances happening around here so me and Sasuke-teme came as fast as we could. We've been running all night and as relieved as we are that you're safe it sucks because it could have been avoided," He stared at Dai once more, watching as the Chuunin remained quiet and frowning, "Or it could have turned out a lot _worse_."

Sakura sighed, dropping her left arm from Sasuke's waist, "Dai-san's already apologized – _numerous_ times – to me. Yes, he could have handled this better; yes, I wish I was more prepared, but what's done is done. We've got a bigger problem to solve now…"

"I'm not done," Sasuke growled, dropping his arm from her shoulders and staring at her intently, "What about _you_, Sakura? Why the hell didn't you go back to the clearing? Go somewhere safer? Or sent some kind of message to us?"

Sakura frowned, "I _was_ going to send a message to you, through Katsuyu, and have her meet you at the clearing and tell you what was going on. I didn't send her _yet_ because I thought you were still in Iwa," Her frown deepened as she placed her hands on her hips, "I _didn't_ go back to the clearing because I was pretty occupied last night and Dai-san needed my _help_. I didn't go somewhere else because after what I've already been through I knew I couldn't leave because I _knew_ you and Naruto were going to come after me. I had to _stay_ to warn you because I didn't want _you_ to get _killed_ by those _things_!"

Clearly out of breath, Sakura inhaled deeply, staring at Sasuke while he stubbornly glared back. Naruto was analyzing Sakura now, taking in her appearance before thoughtfully observing the setting around him: blood trails, dark trails, a new character with a suspicious bag over his shoulder, and the strangest feeling crawling up his spine, as if he was being _watched_ or something. Dai remained silent, staring between Sasuke and Sakura before turning his glance towards Naruto, the blonde's gaze directed at the forest behind him.

Naruto sighed, "Okay, so we got some holes to fill and stories to retell. Our Mission's not over until we figure all this out, so the sooner we get started, the better."

Sakura blinked, sighed, turned away from Sasuke, and wearily walked towards her blood-stained flak-jacket and medical bag, "…Naruto's right," She turned to Dai, "Let's try and find a one-story house…Bigger space, more rooms…Can your ofudas cover that?"

"Ofudas?" Naruto muttered, perplexed.

Dai nodded his head, hefting the bag higher onto his shoulder, "I'd have to use more, but it's possible."

"Alright," The Medic replied, looking down at her belongings and reluctant to pick them up, "Let's start looking for one."

Naruto walked up to Sakura while Dai wandered off to search; the blonde didn't miss the wince she exhibited as she picked up the crimson-covered bag and vest, "…You okay, Sakura-chan?"

She hefted the bag onto her shoulder and folded the flak-jacket against her chest, quiet in thought until she softly responded, "…I don't know, Naruto. I'm…_frustrated_ and _confused_ about this whole thing," She looked up at him and Naruto was surprised to actually see a tinge of fear in her jade orbs, "…I don't like what we've gotten into…"

"Sakura-chan," Naruto grinned; and he took her medical bag and swung it on his shoulder, not caring about the blood that transferred onto his own clothes, "We can do this, _Team Seven_ is on the job," His free arm wrapped around her shoulders and he squeezed in silent reassurance, "Teme's right, _we're_ here now, you're not alone."

Slowly, an appreciative smile appeared on Sakura's expression and she leaned against Naruto with a sigh, "Thanks Naruto…I'm really glad you're here."

Naruto squeezed her shoulders one last time before the two began to walk off the Bridge, Dai already far ahead of them, checking the interior of the houses he passed, and Sasuke waiting at the Bridge's end, his arms crossed as he waited for his teammates, dark orbs intently observing Dai. When Naruto and Sakura reached the ex-Avenger the kunoichi grabbed his arm and began to pull him along; it was a reason to be close to both her boys and a silent truce between her and Sasuke for their earlier disagreement. The Uchiha glanced down at her momentarily, earning a small half-smile from her, and he grunted before adjusting himself to fit into her hold better.

"So," Naruto started, his voice lowered slightly as he nodded his head in Dai's direction, "…This Makoto-guy…Do you trust him?"

Sakura sighed, shrugging the shoulder Naruto wasn't leaning against, "…I don't know him very well but he _did_ save my life…Though, I _am_ staying open-minded. His reasons for calling for me here may be genuine or fake…But after what happened last night, well…" She sighed, "…I've still got a lot more to find out."

"And what happened to _you_?" Sasuke spoke up, dark eyes sliding towards her briefly, "You're completely covered in blood."

"It's not _my_ blood," She assured him, "It's someone else's…He's dead now and what's left of him is in the bag Dai-san's carrying."

"He's in the _bag_?" Naruto yelped, staring in horror at the black plastic hanging over the male's shoulder.

"What's _'left of him'_?" Sasuke chose to repeat, one brow raised.

Sakura shook her head, "We're dealing with something we've never faced before…Dai-san called it a _Curse_…So did Yoshiro-san."

"Who's Yoshiro-san?" Naruto questioned, absently looking around to see if there were any other strangers present besides Dai.

"…The man in the bag," Sakura answered unwillingly, eyes downcast, avoiding to cast her gaze on the object.

Naruto paled considerably as he stared at the item, brows furrowed with worry, "Oh…" He looked at Sakura, her previous statement returning to his muddled mind, "Wait, a _Curse_?" his soft inquiry openly displaying his confusion.

"Supernatural, Spirits, Ghosts," The kunoichi elaborated earning an incredulous snort from Sasuke.

"Do _you_ think it's a _Curse_, Sakura-chan?"

"…I don't know…"

"You can't actually _believe_ that, Sakura."

"You haven't seen what I've seen, Sasuke," Sakura responded, "At least not yet."

However, before Sasuke or Naruto could comment or question further Dai had called out to them, waving his free hand in a gesture that meant he had found what they were looking for. Sakura hurried her teammates along, glancing up at the sun and finding that it was still early afternoon. They had time.

The house Dai had found was perfect in Sakura's opinion. It was one-story, just as she had asked, with six rooms. The front door opened into a long hallway that led to the end of the house where there lay a large bathroom. On the left of the hallway the first room was the living room, complete with two couches, one recliner chair, a TV, fireplace, bookshelves, and one large, curtain-covered window that overlooked the street. Further down the left side of the hallway were two doors that led to two different bedrooms, both small, simply furnished with beds, dressers, vanities, and closets. On the right side of the hallway, across from the living room, was the dining room; it was sparse, with a large, rectangular, wooden table that sat six persons, and a window, similar to the living room's, also overlooking the street. Connected to the dining room, divided by a low counter, was the kitchen, complete with a stove and oven; a door in the far right corner led to a quaint backyard.

Two doors, two escapes – and entrances – and two windows that could be covered by thick drapes; and the house had accessible beds; maybe if she locked herself in one of the bedrooms the moaning and hissing wouldn't be heard and she might be able to get some sleep.

Naruto made himself comfortable on one of the couches, dropping Sakura's medical bag beside the low coffee table. Dai had also placed the plastic bag, containing Yoshiro's body, in the corner of the dining room, Naruto staring at it warily. Sasuke stood beside the door, watching as Sakura closed the entryway, stood there in silence, bit her lower lip, then purposefully threw the lock on the door, sighing after it was done. Her actions concerned him, questioning silently _what_ she had experienced to make her so…_paranoid_.

"I'll need to get boards to block this off," Dai stated as he stared at the fireplace, "Something to cover it, and then I'll put an ofuda to make it more secure."

"A _fireplace_?" Naruto asked; he looked at Sakura, who was staring at the hearth also, her expression clearly conveying worry, "Isn't that a little _much_?"

Sakura sighed, shaking her head at Naruto's inquiry before she walked towards the front door, "I'll look for some spare wood."

Sasuke opened his mouth to protest but Dai beat him to it, "It's okay, Sakura-san. I was speaking out loud; I said _I_ was going to get it. Stay with your teammates, I'll be fine."

"You shouldn't go out there alone," Sakura pressed.

Dai offered her a half-smile, "I've been dealing with these things since I was a little boy…I'll be okay. But still…thank you, for showing concern for my safety."

Sakura looked at Dai, could see the sincerity in his features and for the first time _really_ wondered what happened to him. Why was _he_ involved? What was _his_ situation? Why was he so _set_ and _desperate_ to stop those creatures? What _was his_ story? She watched the sadness in his eyes flicker away as he smiled once more, reassuring her.

"I'll go with him," Naruto offered, standing up and stretching, "Shouldn't take too long anyway."

Dai nodded, "I appreciate that, Uzumaki-san."

Naruto waved his hand dismissively, "It's no problem," He paused, "Hey, how'd you know my name? Did I mention it?"

Dai shook his head, smiling, "Who _doesn't _know Hidden Leaf's Legendary Team Seven? It's only natural that if anyone knows of Haruno Sakura then they know of Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke also. Your names are connected – _associated_."

Sasuke's brow rose in interest at that tidbit of information, watching as Dai and Naruto moved towards the front door, conversation easily starting.

"Is that so? So what have you heard about us?"

"Plenty of things," Dai answered with a hint of eagerness, "Like when…"

And the door shut behind them. Sighing, Sasuke turned away from the door, his dark gaze spotting Sakura as she went towards the kitchen sink and turned on the faucet, spinning the handle to release cold water and placing her flak-jacket under the freezing spray of liquid. She was quiet as she scrubbed away the blood, her head bowed, hands rubbing against the stains, her efforts becoming more vigorous as the seconds ticked by. Frowning, Sasuke walked towards her and the closer he got the more he could hear her desperate muttering.

"…So much blood…_Please, _come off…_Please_…"

"Sakura," Sasuke stated, trying to get her attention.

"…It'll come off," Sakura answered mechanically, "There was just a lot, but it'll come off…It _has_ to."

But Sakura wasn't focusing on her vest anymore, she had taken off her gloves and added it to the cold spray, but her hands were rubbing together, desperately, her arms beginning to shake.

"Sakura," Sasuke repeated more strongly, coming up to her and firmly grasping her hands to stop the scrubbing; her viridian orbs snapped up to him and Sasuke's heart lurched at the fear he could see in her eyes; it didn't help that she was also covered in blood, making the image all the more disconcerting for him, "Sakura…"

He didn't know what to say. He didn't know what was wrong. He didn't experience what she did.

The adrenaline she had probably felt beforehand had ebbed away, all the shock from previous encounters was wearing off; now that relief had filled her with his and Naruto's arrival she was beginning to break down because there was no immediate reason to be strong. All she had was the silence of the house and the blood on her flak-jacket and skin.

No, she had _him_ too. He was there to help her now.

"I'm here, Sakura. _We_'_re_ here," Sasuke assured her softly, feeling her tremble against him, "You're safe now."

And she fell against him, her tears silent, no sounds escaping her as she clutched onto the front of Sasuke's shirt, drowning in the relief that she wasn't alone, that even if she wished everything was a dream – or nightmare – at least Sasuke and Naruto were with her.

"I'm trying to be strong…" Sakura whispered, "I _am_ strong. But all that blood; all the noises; all the shadows and questions and…" She sighed, "…I'm glad you're here. I'm glad you're both here."

They stayed in silence for a few more moments, Sakura taking comfort in the safety of Sasuke's warm embrace and Sasuke really questioning what he and his team were facing. If something had caused Sakura to break down – into tears that she doesn't shed as much as she did in her youth – then he had to take caution. Sakura was a strong girl, one that wasn't easily broken, one that was logical, and if she said something wasn't right then _something wasn't right_. And like all other ninja, Sasuke didn't like the unknown, he prided in the quickness in which he found enemies' weaknesses and if this new adversary seemed undefeatable – especially running free after _ten years_ – he wasn't sure what could be done, and he despised that uncertainty.

Sakura slowly pulled away from him, removing Sasuke from his thoughts, and she turned back towards the sink; however, Sasuke stopped her, "I'll clean your vest…You should clean yourself up."

Sakura looked at the flak-jacket and dark gloves floating in the cold water and then at her blood-stained torso. With a sigh she nodded her head, offered Sasuke a grateful smile, and headed towards the bathroom.

"If you're not out of there in thirty minutes I'll get you out myself," Sasuke warned, clear indication that he didn't want her to do the same thing she just did with her vest: rub her skin raw.

Sakura managed a small smile in response, "…Thanks Sasuke."

He turned towards the sink and began to clean the bloodied items, "Hn."

Another short glance at him, a slight widening of her smile and Sakura walked off towards the bathroom, ready and needing to wash the blood off her form.

* * *

Just under an hour later Sakura was sitting on the couch, cleansed of deep scarlet and basking in the motion of rubbing her long, wet, pastel locks with a soft towel she had found in the bathroom's cabinet. Her dirtied clothes – and the drying flak-jacket Sasuke had helpfully washed – were hanging to dry in the tub; her gloves also sitting on the dining room table for later use. Fortunately, the Medic had brought a spare change of clothes for her Mission and was donning a fitted, long-sleeved black shirt and baggy, black sweats that tightened just above her ankles – plain but comfortable.

Sasuke sat at her right, quiet, watching as Dai fitted a large plank of wood over the opening of the fireplace, slapped on a simple, rectangular sheet of paper with various characters in black ink, and then secured the board by stacking sacks of rice against it – found near the abandoned market during Naruto's and Dai's search for the wood.

"What if we lit a fire in the pit?" Sakura had asked when he had been setting the plank, "Would that prevent them from coming in?"

Dai had shaken his head in response, "Fire's only a shock to them, but they adapt. When you use fire it can only be used once every few minutes…You need to let the adaptation fade so the heat and light better affects them the next time it's used."

"…Oh."

A resounding _beep_ echoed throughout the house and Sasuke and Sakura heard a door open and close, a delighted moan, and then Naruto was walking into view from the kitchen and heading towards them, taking a seat on the recliner, eyes directed happily on his Instant Ramen. Sakura smiled lightly – feeling appreciative of some normalcy – while Sasuke rolled his eyes. Dai paid no heed, instead removing a stack of ofudas from his pouch and setting off to place them in appropriate places around the house.

Sakura opened her mouth to offer her assistance but a yawn broke through her words and she closed her eyes and covered her mouth out of courtesy. When her eyes finally opened, Dai was gone and Sasuke was staring at her.

"Well," The Uchiha intoned patiently, "Start explaining."

Sakura stared at him, switched her gaze to Naruto to see him watching her expectantly also – with noodles hanging out of his mouth – and sighed in resignation, "…Right."

So, Sakura began explaining her side of the story, starting off with finding the Village abandoned, checking around for anyone that needed help or had answers, going to the Clinic only to find a room drenched in blood, heading to the Administrations Building to find her files looked through – and explaining that it was Dai's doing, finding out about the disappearances through Reports, hearing voices – eerie, children's voices, finding broken, bloody, _dying_ Satsuma Yoshiro on the Bridge, him being _grabbed_ by _something_, her running off to find and save him – earning a disapproving grunt from Sasuke – only to come into contact with _creatures_ that were too unnatural to really explain…

Occasionally, Dai would appear, walking into the room to examine the walls before he placed an ofuda where it was supposed to go – windows, walls, the front door – and the first time he came upon the team with Sakura telling her story he quietly stood by to listen. His features had been neutral but a little curious as he soaked in the information of Sakura's experience when she had not been in his presence and when the story came to _his_ – and Torio's – appearance he looked out the window, frowned, and left to continue his ofuda planting.

Sasuke remained silent throughout Sakura's entire _report_, his hands laced together in front of him as he watched her. Yes, her words were heard and being processed in his mind – incredulity for what she was explaining and had encountered also forming – but he _watched_ her. Haruno Sakura was a gesturer and an emotional speaker, her body-language and facial expressions spoke louder than any words she produced and although there was absolutely no reason for Sakura to lie – and absolutely no reason for Sasuke to _believe_ she was lying – he watched her because it helped him to understand her better.

The way Sakura kept playing with her hair, bringing it over her right shoulder and fiddling with the ends as she spoke showed nervousness and anxiety. When she had mentioned walking into a the blood-stained clinic room her knees had pulled up to her chest, as if she was closing in on herself, her discomfort with the gruesome scene clear with the deepening of her frown. When she focused on the events concerning Yoshiro, finding him on the Bridge and hearing the words he spoke, she bit her lower lip, her viridian orbs had clouded – as if she was going back to that point of time – and then she would quickly snap back to the present – like she didn't want to remember – and shook her head vigorously and closed her eyes as she rocked back and forth, plowing on with her explanation like she wanted to just get it over with.

And then she spoke of these _spirits_ – ghosts, beings, _creatures_ – and her brows had furrowed, clearly conveying to Sasuke that she was both frustrated and confused. She explained their elusiveness, swiftness, _darkness_, strangeness; she touched upon the mystery of what they were, the sounds they made, the words they chanted, their limits to an excessive amount of chakra and sunlight; how they only come out at night; the brutality of ripping apart Yoshiro and the _intellect_ of setting traps like her Lantern and maybe even Yoshiro on the Bridge to perhaps lure her to the forests; and – most distressing of all – was that they couldn't be _touched_. Sasuke watched as Sakura sighed and leaned her forehead against her bent knees, looked up at Naruto – who was also staring at her with wide sapphire eyes of bewilderment and disbelief – before landing her gaze on him; and that's where he saw her fear, a fear she was trying desperately to hide but the exhaustion of not sleeping the night before making it easier for him to catch – that same fear he saw when she was trying to wash the blood of her flak-jacket and hands away.

Haruno Sakura was truly _afraid_ of what they were getting involved with.

"…That's all I know right now…" Sakura whispered. Her fatigue was evident as she turned away, a shiver shaking her form and Sasuke wasn't sure if it was out of that same fear in her eyes or the inevitable influx of information they were going to get out of Dai.

"I know…" Sakura continued when silence reigned for a few moments, her face hidden as she kept her head bowed against her knee, her hair acting as a curtain to hide her facial features, "I _know_ it sounds crazy…But I _swear_ I'm not lying…I know what I saw. It's…It's _death_ and _worse_…and I _hate_ being lost and not knowing what to do…"

"What about a Kekkei Genkai?" Sasuke offered – because _Curses_ just _didn't exist_ to the Uchiha Prodigy; it was invention and rumor, _Curses_ couldn't be _real_ – his brows furrowed, "Something that reanimates the dead; it's not unheard of if you think about Kabuto and Orochimaru and the experiments _they_ messed with. Or even a Forbidden Jutsu or Genjutsu."

"I thought about that," Sakura stated softly, "Went through different scenarios…But nothing is certain unless I run some experiments and gather as much information as I can. I've only been here one night and I wasn't exactly prepared or even completely _courageous_ enough to try to _do_ anything," She sighed, "Now that I'm over the initial shock I'll begin to look at things a little more clearly and efficiently," She looked up and gave a slight half-smile to her two boys, "Lucky you that you get a _warning_ before you actually _experience_ it…"

"…It can't be _that_ bad…" Naruto chuckled as he played with the empty styrofoam cup on his lap, but the furrow of his brows, the quick glance out the window for the day's progress, and his tensed shoulders betrayed his slight anxiety for the night's coming; his frowned deepened and he looked back towards Sakura, "…Say Sakura-chan? You mentioned a _little_ _girl_, right?"

The kunoichi nodded her head, "Yeah…She's one of two that can speak. She knows my name and Dai-san's name and she keeps saying that she wants to _play_ with us…"

Sasuke frowned and Naruto bit his lower lip, throwing the ramen cup onto the coffee table carelessly before he rummaged through his pockets and removed a small device, "…I think I heard her," Naruto glanced at Sasuke while Sakura stared at them in confusion, "We _both_ heard her…She was telling us to turn back…Telling us she was going to play with you…And when I said I wasn't leaving this other voice, a little more raspy, started saying that she wanted your blood…"

"…They _talked_ to you?" Sakura asked, staring in disbelief at the radio in Naruto's hand before leaning forward, rummaging through her medical bag on the floor and removing her own broken device from the pocket she placed it in after her shower, "…I lost my radio last night. I found it beside the dark trail when I went back in the forest this morning…"

"So they're capable of communication," Sasuke observed but Sakura could tell in his tone that he was still skeptical – still incredulous of the situation.

She stared intently at the device in her hand, jade orbs narrowed in deep thought, "…Smarter than I thought…" She mumbled, "But what's the extent of that intelligence…?"

With a tired sigh, Sakura rubbed her throbbing temples with one hand and allowed the other to place her radio back into her bag before removing a blank pad and paper. Mumbling to herself, the kunoichi sat back against the couch, knees pulled up and notebook resting against them, brows furrowed in thought before she began to jot down everything she just explained aloud, what Naruto had shared with her and the theories stirring up in her chaotic head. Sasuke continued to watch her quietly while Naruto remained staring at the broken device in his hand.

The silence remained for a good half-hour as Sakura continued to write down her report and Sasuke and Naruto let her words fully sink into their befuddled minds. The Uchiha was debating that a _Curse_ could not possibly exist against the words of his Team Seven female comrade. As much as he wanted to believe Sakura the theory of spirits and ghosts was too improbable to completely accept. Naruto was pretty much thinking along the same lines as Sasuke, but with the evidence of the state they had found Sakura in, the slight jumpiness and tension palpable around her, the fact that the Village was abandoned, that the rumors of disappearances were true, that blood trails and dark trails were visible, and a dead _body_ was sitting in a corner across the hall, Naruto saw no reason to disbelieve Sakura, however – as the saying goes – he would still have to wait to _see_ it to actually believe it.

All Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke could do was wait for the coming of night.

It was when Sakura exhaled a deep sigh and dropped her pen and notepad on the coffee table that Dai reemerged from the hallway. The male had unceremoniously plopped onto the floor beside the coffee table – since no more seats were available – and had released a heavy breath as his hands came up to glide tiredly through his shoulder-length, brown tresses. As obvious as it was on Sakura the fatigue displayed on Dai was even more evident, his eyes blood-shot, hair in disarray, clothes dirtied and torn, and his entire body sagging with exhaustion.

"All the ofudas are in place," He stated tiredly, looking up to briefly meet three pairs of eyes, "When the time comes all I'll have to do is activate them."

Sakura nodded, feeling her shoulders lessen with tension and relief at his words before she sat up a little bit straighter, "Alright, I'd like to question you now…"

Her tone was almost as if she was asking permission, kind because Dai seemed so exhausted, but there was an edge to it that told Dai that the sooner he answered her questions, the better.

"Shoot," He replied easily, sitting up straighter and looking her straight in the eyes, seriousness melting back onto his expression, similar to the calm and collected boy she witnessed when they had been attacked the night before; even Naruto and Sasuke were mildly surprised by the quick change in demeanor.

Sakura nodded and took up her pad of papers and pen readily, "I want to know about when and how these attacks started; anything that can come to mind about its origins."

Dai closed his eyes, pursed his lips thoughtfully and flexed his fingers before opening his eyes and staring at Sakura once more, "Everything started up around ten years ago, a couple disappearances here and there near my Village – a Bird Country Border Village beside this _same_ forest – but it wasn't looked into as deeply as it should have been. Shinobi and the government officials at Bird Country's Capitol assumed it was some mass murderer or serial killer and it's wasn't an unlikely story; the disappearances happened in the forest and forests are the best place to perform criminal deeds like that. But then…" He sighed, shook his head and ran his hand once more through his chocolate locks, "…But then _I_ went out into the forests. That forest out there," He nodded his head in the direction of the Bridge and the woods that lay beyond it, "_That_ forest is untouched. It's pretty much inaccessible with all the valleys and mountains and lakes bordering it so my Village and Bird Country are the only ones that have open connection to it – which is probably why the _Curse_ spread to _this_ Village because of the Bridge they built to facilitate trade between Bird and Rain Countries…"

Sakura nodded, remembering the reports and records she found in the Administrations Building, writing down the information onto her pad with easy haste.

"Anyways…" Dai sighed again, fingers now lacing together as his arms rested against his bent knees, "I went into the forest with a couple of my close friends and my older sister. Since we had such easy access and it was isolated with very few visitors my sister thought it would be a good place to help train me and my friends – since, at the time, we were only Academy Students – and although there were rumors of disappearances Aneko-nee-chan was a very formidable kunoichi so we didn't think we had anything to worry about," He frowned and shook his head, "…How wrong we were…"

A short silence as Dai's dark blue eyes clouded over in memories; Naruto moved closer to the edge of his seat, "…What happened?"

"It came…" Dai answered softly, glaring down at his knees, brows furrowed, "_She_ came," He looked up again to stare at Sakura pointedly, the kunoichi surprised by how dark his eyes had gotten, "That creature – do you remember? – last night, standing outside the shoji?" Sakura slowly nodded her head in reply, remembering its throaty moans and foreboding shadow cast along the paper partition, "…She attacked us. We thought she was in trouble, she kept whispering about _blood_ and she sounded so _sad_ but Aneko-nee-chan had still been wary…I remember her saying that it had an odd chakra and it was just so dark and that _thing_ was just too _fast_," He shook his head again, hands clenching and unclenching, "My friends and I escaped with Torio…We watched as that creature _killed_ my sister before our very eyes and then dragged her off deeper into the forest…More of those things followed…" The Chuunin allowed his left leg to stretch out, left hand planting itself behind his back as leverage, "That night changed _everything_. Torio came back to Bird Country with three Academy Students who were at a loss for words, information was relayed to Oowashi-sama – the former Feudal Lord, Toki-sama's father – and people started to take these disappearances more seriously now that they were becoming more frequent…My friends never became Ninja, Keitaro refused, he said he couldn't take it…and Kaya…she…" He shook his head again and plowed forward, "The entirety of Bird Country was on the hunt for whatever was causing the deaths – they thought it was a murderer at first, they didn't believe my friends and I when we brought up spirits and ghosts, they thought we were shocked and were just creating stories out of misconception and fear of the death we saw – so I trained, because no one would take me seriously unless I moved up in the Ranks and I trained because I wanted to avenge my sister…"

Sakura was so engrossed with the story she had paused in her writing, her brows were furrowed in sympathy as she felt her heart go out to the boy. Watching someone you care for die in front of you was not an experience anyone would want to live through. Now she understood the pain in Dai's eyes, could finally comprehend the sorrow and fury building within him for a mystery unsolved for_ ten years,_ and could see the irritation that peace had yet to be brought for his older sister's unfortunate death. She chanced a glance at Sasuke to see the Uchiha Prodigy frowning, dark eyes staring intently at the floor, hands still laced in front of his stoic features – he and Dai were a little alike in that sense; not being able to avenge someone they cared for was a festering feeling that grew more bothersome and aggravating the longer it remained unsolved.

"After the first few search parties were sent out and no one returned and no information was gained people began to lose hope," Dai continued softly, "Innocent and careless civilians were taken in the night if they strayed too close to the Village's Borders or stupidly dared to enter into the forests with the sun's setting. Rumors were beginning to spread that it _was_ a _Curse_ that was plaguing the Tri-Point Forests and I fueled it because I knew it was true. What I saw that night when Aneko-nee-chan was killed was _not normal_ and once I became a Chuunin I became more involved in this mystery's solving. When Toki-sama stepped up as Feudal Lord she began looking into these deaths more closely – she was more accepting that a _Curse_ was possible, unlike her Father – and heard about me and my story. So, she assigned me as one of the head Shinobi concerning this case, allowing me access to any information I needed and trying to provide for me any resources and Shinobi that could help…It's frustrating," Dai admitted, "I've been in charge for five years and we haven't gotten many leads…All those who disappear stay disappeared leaving us no evidence to study. Also, the reach of the _Curse_ is continuing to spread if the evacuation of this Village isn't proof enough…"

"…So you don't know anything?" Sakura questioned with worry; limited evidence over a span of ten years was a very discouraging start.

"Not a lot," Dai answered truthfully, "Only a handful of us have survived to actually share any information but it's not much. Our shinobi numbers have dwindled in the past two years, as I said before, not many are voluntarily joining this case after all the deaths it has caused. The ones who have survived and are continuing to fight and solve this mystery are getting tired but the drive to avenge the loved ones taken from them keeps them going. We don't have much time left because if I don't solve this mystery soon it'll either spread farther into all three Countries – Rain, Earth, Bird – and beyond, or they'll try to set fire to the entire forest leaving the area unsalvageable which would cut profits in our crop and in our land…" He sighed, "And, even then, we're not sure if fire will destroy them entirely…"

"And that's where I come in," The kunoichi puzzle-pieced in, "You need more heads to solve this problem…"

The Bird Chuunin nodded, "Earth, Rain, and Bird didn't want to burden other Alliances with the problem; they weren't going to call for outside help. And with the Akatsuki War settling, building up Shinobi and Country defenses and homes prioritizes over this problem simply because we have the option to evacuate Villages to avoid additional deaths. However, after ten years keeping this problem within Bird Country and about a year or two spilling over to Earth and Rain we're _still_ not getting anywhere, so I took initiative and found Fire Country to be my best bet. Hidden Leaf is filled with recognized and revered talents," He looked at Sakura again, "I already shared with you my theories about Yamanaka-san and Hyuuga-sans…As well as my choice for Nara-san's aid, but as I also shared with you, you were also a desirable choice, Sakura-san," He subtly glanced over his shoulder to the black, plastic bag in the corner of the dining room, "When I found Satsuma Yoshiro wandering around this Village I believed he could lead to a breakthrough, he was the first Civilian to have ever survived capture, your name, Sakura-san, has been referred to me many times as a renowned Medical Kunoichi which prompted me to send you the false Mission Assignment…I was hoping your Medical Expertise would help in deciphering what happened to Yoshiro-san, in mind and body…"

Sakura frowned as she scribbled on the rest of the information, her free hand tapping thoughtfully against her left leg, "…I wish I had been able to examine him a little more thoroughly while he was still alive…" She glanced at the plastic bag, "However, from what I gained on the Bridge when I found him he had _severe_ internal injuries, clearly tortured, yet in a way that didn't hinder his motor functions…He was still able to _move_, to crawl across the Bridge to try to get away. And I _wouldn't_ say he was _mentally unstable_…" She added with a shake of her head, "…He was coherent enough to speak with me, even scrutinize me like he was suspicious of _my_ intentions…I think he was just scared out of his mind…And I wouldn't see any reason _not_ to be…"

"So you say this is a _Curse_," Sasuke interjected staring at Dai, clearly skeptical still, "What plan of action are you planning to take now that we're here?"

"Nothing yet," Dai answered truthfully, which slightly irritated the Uchiha, "Nothing can be done until Sakura-san gets the information she needs. The best place to get that information is back in my home Village in Bird Country. There she'll be able to study the samples we've collected, question the Shinobi who are a part of the Case, and then use all that knowledge to help me come up with a course of action…"

"He's right," The Medic sighed, "I'd like to _know_ _everything_ before _doing_ anything…"

"We can leave first thing tomorrow." Dai suggested, "The quickest way is to cut through the Tri-Point Forest and the _only_ way to do so safely is in the daylight hours…It's about a four-hour run…"

"Hey, you said there are boundaries, right?" Naruto asked earning a nod from the Chuunin, "Do you know how far those creatures can go on _this_ side? I mean, can they leave this Village or can they go past it?"

"They go as far as the mist goes," Dai answered, "And from what I saw last night, the mist only reached the Village Gates…So I'm guessing they can't go any farther than that…_yet_."

"…What a headache…" Sakura whispered as she rubbed her temples again; Dai throwing her an apologetic glance.

"And these _creatures_," Sasuke stated, "What can you tell us about those?"

Dai frowned, staring at the floor intently, "We are aware of four distinct creatures," Sakura immediately perked up at this, "There are the _Deformed_…They're pretty much exactly as they sound, deformed, grotesque creatures that resemble that of an animal…Four legs, growling…but they vary in sizes; they can be as tall as your hip or a few inches higher than your head. They're rarer than the others' appearances but still very dangerous; I've seen their teeth rip easily through flesh when they hunt humans down."

"Any weaknesses?" Sakura asked, "Can we fight them?"

"They can be fought," Dai replied with a nod, "They can be damaged by weapons and fire but even if you get _close_ to killing them they'll retreat. That's another thing: These things are _never_ caught."

"What do you mean?"

"You take them down, have them at the edge of death or unconsciousness, they'll retreat or one of their own will drag them off into the darkness," Dai explained, "Because of that, we can't get any bodily samples. They make sure _no_ bodies are left behind."

"Well, there's always a _first_," Sakura stated as she pointed her pen towards the plastic bag hiding Satsuma Yoshiro.

A slow, agreeing grin appeared on Dai's face before he nodded, his shoulders losing a bit of tension as he continued, "Next are the _Corpses_…They're like the _Deformed_ except humanoid – they literally look like _corpses_ hence the name. They're much slower, no sharp teeth, but there are _many_ of them. They're the ones that you saw congregated at the window last night, Sakura-san. Those can be touched, punched and kicked but they don't die easily; they can be severed at the waist and they'll still crawl after you so they can feed off you…"

Naruto paled, frowning deeply as his hands touched his waist, as if to make sure he was still one-whole, "F-Feed? What do they feed on?"

"Blood and flesh," Dai answered simply; he then held up three fingers, "The third one is called the _Shadow_ or the _Creature_. It's the one that left the dark trail, the one that stood outside the shoji, the one that chased us on the Bridge, the one that calls for _Blood_, the one that _can't_ be touched."

"How many?" Naruto gulped.

"Only one," Dai responded, "It's tricky. In one moment it's as fast as a shadow, the next it'll just drag itself along. I theorize it's due to strength. When it's at full strength – full appetite – then it can move pretty fast. When its strength wanes, it's weak enough to have to drag itself…"

Sakura nodded her head, understanding the idea, brows drawn together as something bothered her, "…And why can't it be touched? What happens if you touch this particular creature…?"

Dai hesitated, lips pulled down in a frown, "…Touch it and you die."

Naruto yelped, "What? How?"

Dai's only answer was a shake of his head and a despondent shrug of his shoulders. Sakura stared at him, wanting to press for more information about this particular _Creature_ – because she believed its existence was a key to the mystery – but refrained and pensively added a few notes to her notepad.

"And the Fourth Creature?" Sasuke inquired.

Dai sighed, "The most elusive of them; _The Little Girl_. There's only one of her and she can speak in conversation and sentences. She'll address you by name and taunt you but she mainly says that she wants to _play_."

"The _girl _on the _radio_?" The blonde moaned with distress, sapphire eyes widened, "You mean, I talked to a little _ghost_ girl?"

"She's smart," Dai added, "Dangerous too. Everyone has either seen or heard her but _no one_ has touched her. She feeds just the same but she's more the…_voice_ of the _Curse_. Most of the deaths are committed by the _Deformed_, _Corpses_, or the _Creature._ I don't even want to _think_ about what _she_ is _capable_ of doing…"

Sakura closed her eyes, sighing as she sorted out all the extra information in her head, "…It's a lot to take in," She opened her eyes, jade bright with conviction, "But it's the first step."

Swinging her legs off the couch, Sakura took a stand, stretched and then began to make her way towards the dining room. Curiously, all three boys stood also and followed after her.

"Step two," Sakura stated as she dropped the notepad on the table and slipped her gloves on purposefully, green eyes trained on the plastic bag just meters away from her, "We see what information Yoshiro-san's body can provide."

* * *

**A/N:** Yay! A week later and **Chapter Eight** has made its Debut! And it's _**LONG**_! Ish. You know, I'm having a lot of fun with this story and the plot, **Horror** and such, it's kind of more fun than **It All Started With**, but don't worry, I'm not giving up on **IASW**, haha. _HOWEVER_, this Chapter was absolute **Torture **to WRITE! I'm not _entirely _happy with it, meh. I despise writing out explanation and heavy dialogue (cause it's SO BORING!) scenes _but_ it _is_ important to the story. As much as I wanted to spread out all the influx of information the basics needed to be set and of course Dai was going to explain it in the first sitting. The more to know the better. Don't worry, you don't know _everything_ yet, there's still some elements of surprise, but _still_ tell me what you think! I want to hear all your predictions and what-not! Again, sorry for all the dialogue, I **had** to get it all out of the way but **Next Chapter** will be super fun for me to write and _hopefully_ super fun for you to read! :)

If anyone is confused or have questions or I made some mistakes, please let me know, I wasn't really proofreading this chapter thoroughly since it's so wordy but I wanted to get it out sooner so I could get the **Next Chapter** out sooner too! So please drop a **review** with feedback and constructive criticism please, I want to send out stories and chapters **worth reading** and I can't do it if I'm making _mistakes_! _**Please and Thank You!**_

_**AND?**_ Did anyone like the **subtle SasuSaku**? Don't worry **more to come**! Haha

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Naruto…Then it probably wouldn't be Naruto. Heck, I'd probably name is _Sakura_. (But I still love Naruto!)

**Next Chapter:** Let the chaos begin… (**Update:** 5-7 Days)

**UPDATES TO LOOK OUT FOR:**

_It All Started With – Chapter 17_

_False Façade – Chapter 2_

_Forbidden Bonds – Chapter 5_

**BY THE WAY:** Which Story Do You Like Better And Why? _**The Curse**_? Or _**It All Started With**_?

**And has ANYONE noticed that doesn't allow exclaimation points and question marks beside each other anymore? (notice the missing exclaimation point I wanted beside _anymore!_) It never saves! Ugh, I need those for when Naruto talks, it's funnier for me! Sigh :( Without it, Naruto's phrases aren't justified in its loud exclaimations, questions, and proclamations! D:  
So when it says Naruto 'yelped' imagine a question mark and exclaimation point beside one another...**

_**And**_! If anyone is confused about the Mapping of this story, I'd recommend checking out the World Map at (www . leafninja . com) Just take out the parentheses and spaces, it's where I get a lot of my _**Naruto Information**_! :)

_**BIG THANK YOU**_ to everyone who has reviewed and read my fiction(s), I appreciate your support and feedback! You're all _**AWESOME**_!

**Oh!** One last thing! Anyone got a _**Twitter?**_ I made one for the sole purpose of making friends who have the same interests as me (Naruto, Inuyasha, Fullmetal Alchemist, Final Fantasy VII, Anime in general), let me know, I'm open to new friendships and whatever, up to you, just **PM** me or drop a **review! **Happy reading everyone!

_**LotzaLove!  
**__**Luvinukag83**_  
_**aka Len83**_


	9. Belief

**The Curse**

_**Chapter Nine: Belief**_

Sakura frowned as she stared at the black, plastic bag that had been set on the dining room table, the contents within hidden from view but was soon to be exposed. Laid out in front of her were all the tools she needed for a proper autopsy and extraction, evenly spaced and waiting to be used. She breathed. The Medic could feel her heart pounding in her chest, excitement and fear coursing through her veins as the possibilities of what she would uncover through Satsuma Yoshiro's body bombarded her whirring mind; her hands clenched against the table as she closed her eyes and mentally recounted what procedures to follow in situations similar to the one she found herself in now.

While Sakura stood at the end of the table, with her back towards the kitchen, Naruto was on her right and Dai, on her left. Behind her, Sakura could feel Sasuke's presence and could imagine him leaning against the counter, arms crossed as he quietly examined the scene. Naruto was fidgeting with his jacket as he stared at the unmoving object before him and Dai patiently awaited any instructions Sakura asked to be carried out.

She breathed again, flicked her gaze between Naruto and Dai and nodded towards the bag, "…Alright, let him out."

Both nodded, shared a glance of their own, grabbed hold of the end of the bag, and carefully slid it from the decaying body. Naruto's face twisted when he caught sight of the grey, blood-splotched carcass, his nose scrunching up distastefully as the smell of death began to permeate the room. Sakura kept her air of professionalism, viridian orbs examining every inch of the body, the limbs stiff with signs of rigor mortis. Slowly, she reached out to touch the remaining appendage – his right leg – and flinched at the cold she could feel through her glove. Looking at his face – forever frozen in a silent scream – she examined the skin and cautiously felt around the rims of his eye-less sockets – earning a soft gag from Naruto, who had paled a little more when she began her exploration.

"…He's been sucked dry of all blood," Sakura noted, eyes roving along the thinness of Yoshiro's cheeks and leg, "Eyes were cleanly removed and the optic nerve with it," She frowned and allowed green chakra to curl around her right forefinger, ignoring the tiny scalpel of her tool-kit, "Let's check the brain…"

As the chakra-knife descended against the skin of Yoshiro's forehead Naruto shuddered beside her; Sakura stopped and glanced at the blonde with a gentle smile, "Naruto, you don't have to stay and watch. Get some rest; I know you ran here all night."

Naruto looked reluctant, if not a little torn; he wanted to help but there was a reason why he wouldn't be able to handle the job of a medical ninja, he frowned, "…Are you sure?"

Sakura nodded, "Rest, Naruto. And if there's anything you can help with you can write a short report for Shishou about what Tsuchikage-sama told you."

After one last glance at the corpse lying on the table, Naruto conceded, nodding his head and hurriedly ripping a blank sheet of paper out of her notebook before heading towards the living room. Although Tsunade-shishou wouldn't appreciate a ripped report, at least it gave something for Naruto to do – productive too, since Naruto _hardly_ wrote reports out.

Before the Medic resumed her cutting she glanced over her right shoulder to see Sasuke watching her and her movements, "You can rest up too, Sasuke-kun. I don't think there's anything else you can help with."

Sasuke's dark orbs slid to meet jade, expression completely stoic before he pushed off the counter and walked towards her. Curious, one pink brow arched, Sakura watched as he picked up her notebook and pen then dragged one of the chairs about a meter away from the table – but still within her view – and sat down. Confused, Sakura concluded he was just going to follow Naruto's example and write a report of his own, until his deep baritone corrected her.

"You haven't rested either," He stated simply, earning her inquiring attention, "You talk, I write. It's faster and the sooner this is done, the sooner we can _all_ rest."

Sakura was stunned speechless. His logic made sense. Instead of having to remember what the procedure was and rack her brain to get it all on paper all she would have to do was talk and Sasuke could easily get it down word-for-word. It was simple, really, something she could have asked Dai, or even Naruto to do. Yet, the fact that Sasuke had suggested it, had shown – in his own indirect way – that he was concerned for her health, made his gesture that much more meaningful.

Smiling, returning to her work – even if it was as morbid as cutting a dead-man's head open – Sakura whispered, "…Thank you, Sasuke-kun…"

"…Hn."

And then the fluttery feeling in her chest began to ebb away as she focused on the task in front of her, small smile melting into a determined frown as her brows drew together in concentration, chakra-scalpel slicing easily through the graying flesh and hard bone until Yoshiro's corpse was finally scalped.

"Brain looks intact," Sakura muttered as she prodded systematically, green chakra seeping from her fingers into the organ to gain deeper analysis, "A few bruises, probably caused by head injuries…Doesn't look like they got _into_ his head, the fear was all Yoshiro's and that's to be expected…"

She moved the tuft of hair and head to the side before examining his shoulders and the bare sockets where his arms used to be. Absently, she picked up some scissors and handed them to Dai, instructing him to cut off Yoshiro's clothes so she would have easier access to his chest. Taking a closer look at the dried blood surrounding the shoulder, Sakura inwardly winced at the torn skin and had to briefly turn her head into her inner elbow so she could breathe in deeply and gain back her bearings.

"Right arm ripped off…" She stated, hearing the sound of a pen scratching against paper, and moved towards the other side, "Left arm ripped off, both in the same fashion, excessive force," She looked over his hip and where his left leg was not present, "Left leg also ripped off. Note: Dismemberment was done _after_ the torture in the Clinic Room, _not_ the initial reason for his bleeding out," She frowned, "Yoshiro-san was still a whole body when I found him on the Bridge."

"So what caused all the blood loss?" Dai questioned, piling the clothes he had cut from Yoshiro's body at the end of the table.

"I'm guessing internal bleeding," Sakura answered as she picked up her scalpel from her tool-kit and looked over the bruised and battered skin exposed on his chest; she inhaled deeply and began a vertical cut through his chest, "When I healed him on the Bridge I felt broken bones and punctured lungs…" She stopped cutting, frowned, and reached her index finger into Yoshiro's open mouth, the appendage returning covered in dried, flaky blood, "…I think the blood trail was mostly due to the cuts around his body and the blood leaving through his mouth…He was dying from internal bleeding but the fact that he was ripped apart instantly killed him…"

Dai grimaced beside her and Sakura resumed her cutting, pulling the torn flesh apart from each other – and saving some of that same flesh for further study – when the incision was completed. What she found was also to be expected. The body's internal organs were a mess, blood having seeped out of punctured areas – lungs, heart, liver, esophagus – and bones were broken and splintered, most likely the sole causes of the internal damage.

"Heart damaged, lungs and liver punctured, bones broken, severed stomach lining," Sakura listed for Sasuke to write down, "What a mess," She prodded a few of the organs, moving some aside so she could explore any more damage, "Cause of wounds would be excessive force also…Probably thrown around," Her brows furrowed as she examined the heart, "What's this?"

Sakura immediately removed a spoon-like utensil from her kit and carefully dragged it against the heart, picking up a black substance that surrounded it. Holding it up for a closer view Sakura frowned when she couldn't make anything of the stuff.

"Blood?" Dai asked.

She shook her head as she removed one of her stiff cards of paper, smearing the substance on it, "No, too dark."

"Dark trail substance?" Dai offered as he stared at the blotch with a frown.

Sakura paused, stared at the smear, not denying the resemblance before frowning, "Could be…And that would mean the _Creature_ touched him…Which could mean a different cause of death. The trails _were_ beside one another, so it's possible," She sighed and collected more samples, "Won't know until we study more."

After getting five more cards of evidence of the black material, Sakura noticed that it was rather abundant in Yoshiro-san's chest. Because blood – specifically _dried_ blood – could also be dark it could have easily been mistaken for the crimson liquid, but Sakura had been around a lot of blood over the years, and the black matter may have _contained_ blood – numerous people's blood – but there was something else; something _not right_ about it.

Exhaling, Sakura shook her head, moved the evidence to the side, and began to examine Yoshiro's remaining leg, "Right leg is bruised and cut…" Her eyes narrowed as her fingers traced a row of indentations, "…Bite marks?" Going further down the leg, Sakura found similar marks, some varying in size, even shape, and it broke skin if the dried trails of blood leaving the injuries was any indication, "…I'm guessing this suggests that these _creatures_ were feeding…" She looked at the spaces where limbs were not visible, "And so they ate his arms and left leg…" She looked down where the right leg ended – his ankle, "…And his right foot too…"

Distinctly she heard Naruto choke from the living room and Sasuke shift in his seat.

Examining the ankle more closely, she flinched when she recognized the wound, similar to his abused leg, "Right foot was _bitten_ off…"

"What kind of _hell_ did they put you through?" Dai muttered sadly as he stared at the still corpse; Sakura closed her eyes and breathed as she tried to block out all the screams she heard from Yoshiro the night before.

"_NO! HELP! HELP ME! AHHHHH!"_

Swiftly, Sakura pulled away from the body and removed her gloves, throwing the articles on the table before running her hands through her pink tresses. Both Dai and Sasuke looked at her, their brows drawn together in confusion and concern. Dai turned towards her, opening his mouth though no words fell through while Sasuke slowly stood up and placed the pad of paper and pen on his forgotten seat.

Sakura shook her head, eyes closed as she leaned against the counter, "That's enough for now. Let's take a break…" And she pushed off the counter and gingerly gathered her newest evidence and the pad and pen on Sasuke's chair, before heading towards the living room where Naruto was scratching his head, staring at his flimsy, one-paper report.

After sharing a short glance with Sasuke, Dai stared at the corpse before him, sighed, and took the black, plastic bag, using it, once again, to cover the carcass from view.

* * *

It was easy for Sakura to get her mind off things when she had something to do. Spreading out the evidence she had collected over the past few hours and laying her notebook on her lap, the kunoichi vigorously began to write her formal report to Tsunade, making sure not to leave out any details and to incorporate as many theories as she could provide so, on the off-chance her Shishou did deem it necessary to send reinforcements, they would be as prepared as they possibly could before they arrived.

Naruto, who had written his share on his one piece of paper, began to deliberate with Sasuke to make sure he had gotten everything down correctly; the Uchiha calmly added in things the blonde had forgotten and changed things Naruto had misunderstood. Insults were eventually thrown, something expected out of the two Leaf Shinobi, but Sakura embraced the normalcy.

After about a couple hours of writing, rewriting, and copying down notes, Sakura efficiently divided up the evidence; one set to keep with her and the other set to send back to Konohagakure for second opinions. Once that had been settled Sakura wasted no time in summoning Katsuyu – a smaller version, at least – informing the slug of her and her team's situation, attaching her report and evidence to the Summon's back, and thanked her for her help.

When the white and blue slug disappeared in a _puff_ of smoke, Sakura felt her muscles give way to exhaustion and she leaned into the softness of the white leather couch and closed her eyes. However, sleep would not come to her easily with the way her mind was still sorting through information and she sighed as she opened her eyes and glanced around the room in curiosity.

Naruto had fallen asleep on the recliner after he had handed her his and Sasuke's report. He looked peaceful, eyes closed in blissful unconsciousness, arms folded over his chest and head tilted to lean against his shoulder. Her medical mind noted that it wasn't the most comfortable position to sleep in, but knowing Naruto, he was the kind to nap through anything and when he woke up, he'd easily crack his neck and be on his way.

Panning her gaze to the far right, lying on the couch in front of the window, was Sasuke. He seemed to be asleep, his back resting against the arm-rest, left foot planted on the floor and right leg bent and resting against the back of the couch. His left arm was flung across his eyes preventing Sakura from seeing his expression but judging by the even breathing and the steady rise and fall of his chest it was safe to assume that the Uchiha Prodigy had succumbed to his own exhaustion also.

If only sleep would come without trouble for Sakura.

Frowning, Sakura stood and stretched out her stiff limbs, flexing her fingers – rigid from all her writing – and headed towards the hallway, wondering where Dai had gone. Looking down the hallway and spreading her chakra she found that he was no longer in the house. Curiously she entered the dining room – avoided settling her gaze on the unmoving form on the wooden table – and stood beside the window, pushing away the curtain to peer outside.

A sense of relief filled the kunoichi to see Dai standing a few meters away from the front door; he was looking up at the sky thoughtfully, apparently getting some fresh air. She wondered why he wouldn't be taking the opportunity to sleep – his exhaustion was clearly obvious – until she realized that he was probably waiting for night to come, so he could promptly activate the ofuda seals. Panning her gaze upward, Sakura frowned when she noticed the darkening of the skies and the sun's disappearance, the orb of light surely making its descent towards the Earth Country horizon.

It wouldn't be long until the obscurity of night did arrive. She shivered.

_Growl_.

Blushing, Sakura placed a hand to her stomach, realizing that the last time she had eaten was the morning before. Chancing a glance back at Dai and her Team Seven boys she figured that the same could be said for them – well, except Naruto, who had his Instant Ramen hours prior. Letting the curtains fall back into place Sakura headed towards the kitchen and began rummaging through the cabinets, hoping the previous owners of the house wouldn't mind her borrowing a few cans of food.

Mechanically, Sakura began to cook some rice and boil some water for tea; onigiri wasn't much, but she'd prefer it over ramen noodles. Unfortunately, the tomatoes had gone bad in the fridge as well as the meats in the freezer, so plain rice was going to have to be enough.

She found another few packages of ramen in one cabinet's high shelves and reached for it with a grin, "Just because _I_ don't want ramen doesn't mean the others won't."

Removing another pot from a lower drawer Sakura filled it with water and turned up the heat on another of the stove's burners. After putting the pot on the burner there was nothing left for Sakura to do but wait for the water in the pot and kettle to boil and for the rice-cooker to _ding_ when it was ready. So, leaning against the kitchen sink, the kunoichi tilted her head up feeling the kinks in her neck crack and rolled her shoulders to release some of the tension.

_Creak._

The tension returned, Sakura's eyes snapped open as she heard the distant whine of metal. Looking to her right she could see that Dai had yet to open the front door and return inside the house and both Sasuke's and Naruto's chakra signatures were still dormant with sleep. Slowly, she pushed away from the counter, ears alert with caution though she silently berated herself for not keeping a kunai on her person.

_Creak._

Her gaze immediately swiveled towards the back door. She cautiously walked towards it, one hand on the handle if she needed to keep something out and the other pulling back the gossamer drapes to peer beyond. All she found was an ordinary backyard, the flowerbeds would have been promising if the maintenance hadn't been lacking in the past few weeks but there was nothing suspicious; just dying daylight.

_Creak._

"What _is_ that?" Sakura muttered as she turned the handle of the door, pushing it open with care, her other hand releasing the curtain and fisting, ready to pour chakra into the appendage if the slightest of threats crossed her.

Her bare, right foot stepped out onto the wooden veranda, the wood cold against her skin. Carefully she edged out, making sure half her body stayed indoors. Viridian orbs were quick to scan the area and when she finally landed her gaze on her left, the space right beside the house, she found the source of the noise.

_Creak._

A porch swing.

Sakura's hand went lax, her stare remaining on the harmless swing, painted white to match the house, covered in dry leaves from the surrounding trees. The kunoichi's grip tightened as she realized something.

_Creak._

There wasn't any wind.

_Creak_.

'…_Haruno Sakura…'_

And Sakura watched as the swing continued its creaking sway, mist beginning to roll over the surrounding fence of the backyard and the sun's light disappearing behind the distant mountains.

_Creak. Creak. Creak._

Swiftly stepping into the house, Sakura closed the door and turned the lock, her heart beating rapidly in her chest as her breathing quickened in alarm; her back hit the door for support.

They were _here_.

And then she heard a rustle.

* * *

Dai inhaled deeply through his nose as he lifted his gaze to the skies of the setting sun. Sunset used to be his favorite time of the day; the purples, pinks, and oranges that painted the sky always enthralled him, the white – sometimes red – clouds would shift into the most alluring and wispy of shapes and designs leaving him to stare contently as long as the limited time sunsets lasted.

It wasn't the same now…

Aneko had always watched the sunset with him; even when she had missions and came home tired and hungry; if she ever had the chance she would have always joined him on the roof of their house to watch the day's leaving, to witness the final stunning picture the sun and skies had to offer in that moment, until a new image of beauty took its place, the vast darkness illuminated by the glittering lights of millions of stars, the moon a more gentle brightness than the sun.

Frowning, Dai closed his eyes and let out a breath. Sunsets and nights didn't hold the same memories as it had in his youth. What was once beautiful splendor and wonderful recollections had become a mounting fear, sadness and anger. But Makoto Daisuke wanted it back; he wanted the sunsets and nights to be good memories once more, something that he can look back on with a smile and remember not as a time that was filled with shadows and terror, but as a time when he was happy, when his sister had been alive and with him.

"For you, Aneko-nee-chan…" Dai whispered, opening his eyes as he watched the skies begin darken.

_Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap._

"For you," He promised softly, noticing the mists begin to roll in.

_Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap._

He stepped back calmly, towards the front door of the house, hearing the footsteps echo off the empty streets, footsteps that weren't his own, footsteps too light to belong to someone his age. His fear was still there but he hid it under determination; more than anything he wanted to solve this mystery, destroy these creatures, avenge his sister, and protect all those he cared for.

_Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap._

Even at the cost of his life.

"You don't scare me," Dai muttered, dark blue eyes narrowed, his hand reaching for the door knob behind him.

One short blink and a little girl stood across the street from him. Her face was pale and smooth, like marble, her dress was as white as her skin, her hair as dark as the shadows that surrounded her. She smiled as she held out her hand, her form flickering a meter closer towards him, the laughter rising in the background, the shadows moving ominously with the mist.

'_If you're not scared, Dai-san…'_ The little girl began lightly, her smile widening, _'Then why don't you come play…?'_

* * *

_Rustle. Rustle._

Sakura stilled as she heard the soft noise and then she moved away from the door she had been leaning against, staring at the entryway warily.

_Rustle._

The Medic's head snapped to her left and she mechanically walked towards the stove and shut off the heat, food forgotten as her eyes narrowed with concentration. Viridian orbs slid towards the front door and she absently wondered if Dai had returned inside when she had been scanning the backyard. Worry filling her for his safety the kunoichi purposefully began moving towards the door. When the living room came into her view a little weight lifted off of her shoulders as Naruto and Sasuke also came into her sights, still sleeping, and the relief continued to wash over her with the reassurance that they were still with her.

_Rustle._

She stopped.

She hadn't made it to the door yet, she was only about a meter away from the dining room table. Slowly she twisted on her heel viridian orbs gazing at the plastic bag covering Yoshiro's body, the material shifting slightly, the main source of the noise. Cautiously, brows furrowed, Sakura stepped up to the table, one hand grasping the black plastic and steadily began to pull it away from the cadaver.

Satsuma Yoshiro's unmoving body greeted her.

"A draft…" Sakura whispered, assuring herself as she dropped the bag to the floor and began to rub her left temple, "A breeze…When I was walking by…yeah."

_Twitch._

Sakura frowned. His right leg had moved.

"It's to be expected," Sakura reasoned, if only to calm herself down; she shifted her gaze towards Yoshiro's face, "Postmortem spasms…Electrical impulses from the nerves…"

The front door opened and Sakura's gaze immediately snapped towards it, watching with relief as Dai slipped through, closed the door, and threw the lock; his face was a mask of seriousness and even a sense of readiness of what was to approach.

"They've come," He stated simply, his voice hard as he headed for the dining room window, made sure it was locked and pulled the curtains closed, "I must activate the seals."

When Dai had moved towards the window in the living room his encroaching presence immediately woke Sasuke, obsidian orbs staring at Dai with annoyance when the Bird Chuunin leaned over the couch he was occupying to check the locks on the window and pulled those drapes closed also. When his dark gaze slid over to Sakura, who was standing in the dining room and looking at the back door wearily, the Uchiha sat up straighter.

'_Ha…Ha…Ha…Ha…Come out, come out and play…'_

Sasuke stiffened at the sound of the lilting voice and, because his eyes were on her, he could see Sakura tense up also. Dai was quick to move towards the front door, close his eyes, and gesture hastily the hand signs needed for the Sealing Jutsu.

"Fuuinjutsu: Sanjuu Kekkai!"

Instantly, the visible ofudas along the walls and across the front door began to glow a bright blue and the steady laughter outside began to falter. Dai stumbled into the front door once the Jutsu had been completed but shook his head to gain his bearings and took off deeper into the house, most likely to make sure everything was in working order.

"Naruto, wake up," Sasuke growled, walking over to the snoring blonde to whack him in the head.

"Ow!" Naruto groaned groggily, sleep still evident in his sluggish words as he rubbed his abused head, "What the hell was _that_ for, Teme?"

"They're _here_," The Uchiha responded plainly, dark eyes trained on the covered windows.

Naruto frowned, glaring at Sasuke, still not comprehending, "What are you talking ab–?"

'_You didn't turn back…'_ A delicate voice interrupted from behind the front door, _'You strangers didn't turn back…So we'll play with you…we'll play with you and take your blood too…'_

"…What the _hell_?" Naruto muttered, standing up, intent on finding out where the voice was coming from – still a little slow from sleep.

"Why don't they know your names?" Sakura questioned, "They knew _my_ name the first night I was here…"

Sasuke and Naruto switched their gazes towards the murmuring kunoichi still standing in the dining room and their eyes couldn't help but widen in alarm.

Sakura's back was to the table, her head bowed as she continued to mumble to herself. And behind her, Satsuma Yoshiro's decaying body had steadily sat up, eye-less sockets directed on their female comrade, mouth still open in a silent scream, a soft moan beginning to fall from its waxy lips.

'_Nnnnngngngng!'_

"Sakura-chan!"

The Medic's head had impulsively lifted to land her gaze on Naruto at his desperate call and Sasuke was already running towards her, kunai in hand. When the moan registered in Sakura's mind she was quick to spin around and hold up her arms in defense as the corpse lunged as best as it could with only one limb. The cold body fell against her, blunt teeth trailing against her sleeve-covered arm and she stumbled back with a gasp before warm arms caught her and the carcass was flung away from her form. Looking up, she found Naruto holding her steady, his sapphire eyes glaring at the struggling body which couldn't get up without arms, Sasuke standing over it before he delivered a harsh kick to its ribs.

Sakura flinched, because to see Yoshiro's body not only reanimated but also beaten additionally by Sasuke unnerved her. She knew it was out of protection, but the fact that Yoshiro's head and chest were cut open, organs and liquid pouring out onto the floor, Sakura just didn't want to look at and deal with the corpse anymore.

"Why the _hell_ is it still moving?" Naruto questioned with unease just as Dai ran into the room, his dark blue eyes wide with surprise.

"What's going on?"

"That _thing_ came back to life and attacked Sakura-chan!" Naruto explained loudly.

Something in Sakura's head clicked, "…They don't disappear…"

Naruto and Dai, who had heard her, whirled their gazes towards her, expressions clearly conveying their confusion, "What?"

Sakura stepped out of Naruto's arms and stared at the thrashing carcass, Sasuke stepping back and watching it warily, "…You said _Corpses_ – the type of creature – _look_ like corpses…It's because they _are_ corpses…" She locked her gaze with Dai, "All those disappearances…Not all of them are eaten; they _become_ one of _them_."

"But how?" Dai asked, desperate almost.

"I don't know…" Sakura frowned, "Not yet."

"Can someone just kill it already?" Naruto pleaded, a little panicked.

"How do you suppose we do that, _dobe_?" Sasuke retorted in obvious annoyance.

"Try…Cutting off the head," Sakura suggested, eyes still trained on the body.

All three males looked at her but she didn't return their gaze. Grunting, Sasuke removed his Kusanagi, walked up to the carcass and cleanly severed the head at the neck. Unfortunately, even when the head rolled a few feet away the leg still twitched and kicked periodically. Naruto frowned, a mixture of a whine and complaint wanting to escape his throat.

"…Try the leg," The kunoichi stated.

Without hesitation Sasuke sliced at the hip, removing the leg from the torso. For a moment all three limbs had stilled and everyone let out a collective exhale, as if they had all held their breaths when Sasuke's blade had cut through the grey flesh. Then, the head moaned, the torso jumped, and the leg jerked once more.

"Are you _serious_?" Naruto growled.

Dai stepped forward, "…I'll take it to the bathroom. I'll put it in the tub and see if I can burn it."

No one said anything but they didn't protest as the Chuunin moved forward to grab the plastic bag and quickly place the limbs inside. With a grimace he began to drag it down the hall and disappeared into the bathroom, momentarily he reemerged to place Sakura's drying clothes on the hallway table before he rejoined the corpse in the lavatory and shut the door behind him.

'…_Come out to play, pretty please…Ha…Ha…Ha…'_

The windows began to rattle, the front and back doors shuddered, the plank over the fireplace shook, and the moaning and whispers outside rose in volume. Sasuke sheathed his Kusanagi, Naruto leaned against the wall separating the hallway and dining room, and Sakura rubbed her arms unconsciously.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto called softly, earning her attention, viridian orbs worriedly taking in his taut shoulders.

"Yeah?"

Sapphire connected with obsidian before sliding to jade, his blonde brows furrowed with apprehension, "I believe you now."

* * *

**A/N:** Yay! Another Chapter! Because of everyone's **Awesome Feedback** I decided to give you all an early chapter **_and_ another chapter this weekennd! **Everyone has just been super, totally awesome with reviewing and hitting and favoriting and alerting this story that I just got super excited and started to write more for you! Originally I was just going to give one long chapter **BUT **I'll just give you an early chapter - not as long, but _early_. **Don't Fret though!** I hope this additional chapter is to your liking and that the creepiness factor hasn't diminished, this story is really stretching my imagination muscles but I'm glad that people are getting enjoyment - and _chills_ - out of it! You guys are **THE BEST**! So, yes, as for **SasuSaku** there **_will be more in the future...as a matter of fact, there will be SasuSaku fluffiness in the chapter coming up _THIS WEEKEND! **So hang tight everyone! This story is predominantly horror and mystery but I'm trying my best to put in all the **_romance factors into it_**, **PLEASE** tell me what you think and how I'm doing so far! Every little critique _**HELPS**_! It would certainly make my day if we reached _**100 Reviews**_ especially if they're the kind that tell me exactly what they like about the chapters and story and what I should work on! Hmm, maybe the day I reach **100** I'll put up the next chapter? Hmmm, I'm planning to update on **Sunday** but if I get a lot of loving by **Friday** should I post it then? Or maybe I should just post it on **Saturday? **Haha, we'll see!

And who liked **thoughtful!Sasuke** this chapter?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto...But a girl can dream, yeah? Nah, I'm content putting our favorite characters in scary - and romantic - situations...for now.

**Review Shout-Outs:**

_**inkblots101**:_ Yay! I gave you heebeejeebees (sp? lol) I'm glad for that! And I'm glad the wordy last chapter was a good reprieve from the tension! Haha, and **SasuSaku** ftw! _More fluffiness Next Chapter!_

**_LittleGreenWolf_**_: Aww! Thank you! I'm glad you're liking the Fic so far, I hope you continue to support it! And I'm relieved the _**mystery** and **horror** (and _romance of couse!_) is really getting to you and other readers! Hope you like this new installment!

_**Sakura's Indecision**:_ I absolutely **LOVE** your reviews, they really help me gauge how I'm doing because you're so specific about what you like and dislike, it's so helpful! Thank you! And yes, Naruto, I'm trying to keep him - and _all_ the characters - as **IC** as possible, you'll see more of his inner turmoil and fear **next chapter**! I hope you continue to stick by and of course I'll bring on as much **SasuSaku Fluffiness **as I possibly can! Heehee, the couple's just too cute and lovable and squeeee to resist! Especially in a **horror** situation! Glad you liked and thank you for the review!

_**jadeflower**:_ I'm really glad you like it! I'll try to update as frequently as I possibly can!

_**oceanavvanue**:_ Thank you for your opinion! You were the first one to tell me I think! I'm glad you're enjoying the horrific ride! :)

_**Arita-chan**:_ Thank you for the review, I'm happy you're liking my **subtle SasuSaku** haha, more **"subtleness"** to come! Look forward to the weekend, heehee! And yes, no scary story is truly scary without a girl-child with long dark hair, _The Ring_ and _The Grudge_ were partial inspirations to this Fic!

_**shkh4eva**:_ Thank you for the review! I'm glad you liked the **SasuSaku moment** and thanks so much for your opinion! _The Curse_ and _It All Started With_ are completely different stories but thank you for telling me your preference, especially since I recognize your name in a lot of reviews for my stories! Thank you for supporting me, you're **Awesome**!

_**innocent blusher**:_ Thank you for the feedback! I'm glad you're liking the story so far and the **SasuSaku-ness**! Heehee!

_**JWJ**:_ I'm glad you like the story and all my stories for that matter! I'm very flattered, writing is my hobby and I love sharing my imagination and ideas with others, thanks so much for reading and reviewing!

_**sasusaku70123**:_ Haha, how'd you like the Amputation/Autopsy of Yoshiro? lol And don't worry, you'll like (I _hope_) the **SasuSaku-ness** in the _next chapter!_ :)

_**Ice of the Kitsune's Fire**:_ Eeep! I love that you think it's scary! Haha, and Dai? *giggle* don't worry, I'm aiming for your paranoia too! As for the **SasuSaku Fluff**, oh there'll be more coming your way, just stay tuned! Thank you for the Review!

_**sasusaku-EienAi**: _Oh the D_eformed_, I have something planned for this creatures **indeed**, **_muahahahaha_** and seriously, when I got your review and read your hypothesis about the C_orpses_ and Yoshiro becoming one of them I smiled because you got it spot-on, that's partially the reason I updated so quick so you could see that yup, you got it! Haha, hopefully I won't be so transparent in the future though, lol, I don't want my story becoming cliche and predictable. BUT, kudos for getting it! And yes _Resident Evil_ was also a big inspiration for this Fic, I am a **Horror** genre fan and watching those movies and playing games like _RE_ and _Silent Hill_ really inspired me for this Fic. **The Question:** What would Ninjas do against ghosts and creepy things? **Especially, **what would **Team Seven** do against ghosts and creepy things? And so, _The Curse_ was BORN! Yay! Well, lol, enough of my rambling, thank you for the review! Hope you liked this installment, and I hope to hear from you in the future! :)

**Wow!** So many review replies! Thank you again everyone! Especially to those currently reading, have reviewed previously, have alerted and favorited this Fic and _me_ as an author! You guys inspire and push me to continue and I will try to write well and update soon to the best of my ability! **Thank you again! You are ALL AWESOME!**

If anyone is confused or have questions or I made some mistakes, please let me know, I wasn't really proofreading this chapter thoroughly since it's so wordy but I wanted to get it out sooner so I could get the **Next Chapter** out sooner too! So please drop a **review** with feedback and constructive criticism please, I want to send out stories and chapters **worth reading** and I can't do it if I'm making _mistakes_! _**Please and Thank You!**_

* * *

**UPDATES TO LOOK OUT FOR:  
**_It All Started With – Chapter 17  
__False Façade – Chapter 2  
__Forbidden Bonds – Chapter 5  
Missing In Action - Chapter 2_

* * *

**Next Chapter:** _Chapter Ten: Helpless  
_**Update:** Weekend of 07/09/2010_  
__**TEASER:  
**_"I'll play your game…I'll solve this mystery."  
_'…You don't understand Haruno Sakura…That's not the game…When we say come out to play, that means we need a ball…_You_ are the ball, Haruno Sakura…We need something to play with…'_

* * *

_**EDIT:**_ Thank you _Sakura's Indecision_ I changed the regular scalpel to the chakra scalpel since a regular one wouldn't be able to cut against flesh and _bone_. :)

_**And**_! If anyone is confused about the Mapping of this story, I'd recommend checking out the World Map at (www . leafninja . com) Just take out the parentheses and spaces, it's where I get a lot of my _**Naruto Information**_! :)

**Oh!** One last thing! Anyone got a _**Twitter?**_ I made one for the sole purpose of making friends who have the same interests as me (Naruto, Inuyasha, Fullmetal Alchemist, Final Fantasy VII, Anime in general), let me know, I'm open to new friendships and whatever, up to you, just **PM** me or drop a **review! **Happy reading everyone!

**Oh!** And I plan on sending out some **Pokémon (AAML)**, **Fullmetal Alchemist (EdWin)**, and **Final Fantasy VII (CloudTifa)** Fictions too, so if you're FANS, please check them out! :)

**You Are All The Best! And Feel Free To PM Me About Recent Naruto Manga Chapters Too! Heehee!**

_**LotzaLove!  
Len83  
aka**__**  
**__**Luvinukag83**_


	10. Helpless

**The Curse**

_**Chapter Ten: Helpless**_

Somehow – without even fully realizing it – Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto had migrated towards the living room. No one spoke, but they listened; they listened to the broken laughter, the sound of careless scratching against the front door and the cackling energy of the ofudas that prevented the creatures' entrance. The location of the little girl would also change – her voice would be heard near the windows, the back door, even the fireplace.

It freaked Naruto out.

The blonde was sitting on the couch Sakura had occupied earlier – disregarding the recliner since it was too close to the fireplace – fidgeting with his hands as his sapphire orbs darted around at the slightest of noises. Then, Sakura curled up next to him, grabbed his hand and leaned her head against his shoulder, offering comfort and assurance. The kunoichi wished she had that same silent support _her_ first night encountering the shadows but she was content to offer it to her boys. She knew Naruto was strong and brave – both her boys were – but what they were facing was unusual and unsettling. However, the one thing that was prominent in Sakura's mind, the _one_ thing she knew that made the difference in solving this mystery and confronting their fears…

…was that Team Seven had each other.

So Sakura settled her warmth against Naruto's side, she rubbed her thumb against the back of his hand, the touch grounding him and promising him that she was there and that they were all together. She felt the blonde relax under her gentle ministrations, his hands tightening around hers in a silent gesture of gratitude.

"Thanks Sakura-chan."

Sakura nodded her head, jade eyes shifting to find the last member of their trio; the Uchiha Prodigy stood on the other side of the coffee table across from them, his arms crossed over his chest as his dark eyes stared fixedly at the curtain-covered windows.

'_Blood…Want your blood…Need your blood…'_

Sakura could see Sasuke's frown deepen as the raspy voice sounded and she could distinctly smell smoke and cinders coming from deeper in the house. She hoped Dai was doing alright with Yoshiro's corpse.

Movement from Sasuke impelled the Medic to watch him cross the room and proceed resolutely towards the window, hand outstretched to undoubtedly pull back the drape.

"Sasuke-kun," She called out, unsure if it was a good idea.

But Sasuke ignored her, calmly pulled back the curtain a fraction and peered out into the darkness. The kunoichi watched as his jaw tightened, obsidian orbs narrowed before he released the thick material, which fell back into place, arms crossing over his chest once more.

"So, we're trapped here until morning," Sasuke stated, twisting his head so he could gaze at her over his shoulder.

The Medic sighed but nodded nonetheless, "…Yeah."

The sound of a door opening and closing reached their ears and Dai appeared seconds later from the hallway with the smell of burnt flesh following him. He looked completely drained; his eyes half-lidded and shoulders slumped. Both Sakura and Naruto sat up a little straighter with his entrance and Sasuke had turned around to give him his full attention.

"He's dead…_completely _dead," Dai replied to their unspoken question; he ran a shaky hand through his brunette locks and sighed, "It took a while but I had to turn him into ash to do it."

"There goes some useful evidence…" Sakura exhaled in disappointment; wishing she still had something to run some tests and experiments on.

Dai looked towards Naruto and Sasuke, silently assessing how they were holding up, "…The seals will hold; if you hear any loud noises or scratching sounds don't be alarmed…They do that, trying to find weak spots and such."

"And do they?" Naruto pressed, "Find weak spots, I mean?"

Dai shook his head, walked towards the recliner and sat down, "No…At least not in the three years I've used these wards."

Naruto seemed to lose some of his tension with that guarantee and he leaned back against the couch with a short exhalation of breath. Dai had also leaned back into his seat, his eyes closing, and Sakura thought that it wouldn't be a surprise if he passed out within the next couple of minutes.

A soft tug of her hand brought the kunoichi's jade eyes to Naruto, the blonde offering her a weak half-smile, "You should get some rest Sakura-chan…You have bags under your eyes."

Under normal circumstances – like when she worked overtime at the Hospital and was irritable for her lack of sleep – Sakura might have wacked Naruto in the head for pointing out her physical faults, but she recognized the genuine concern in his eyes and silently agreed that her features were probably far from her best.

"Get some rest…" Naruto repeated as he tugged on her hands and gestured to the bedrooms with his head, "I'm okay now," He laughed half-heartedly – an action to help encourage her, "I'm getting used to it."

Sakura was hesitant. For one, she really did want to sleep; her chakra may not have been continuously used but she could feel her reserves needed replenishing and that her mind needed to shut down and recharge as well. However, did she want to leave her boys alone and out of her sight? Did _she_ even want to be left _alone_ in the bedroom?

She nodded and stood up, keeping Naruto's hand in hers until she was fully upright. It's not like company was _needed_. Once she hit the pillows she'd hopefully be out of the conscious world in mere seconds. And although Sasuke and Naruto were warned of what they were going to encounter with the night's coming, it didn't look like they were going to fall back asleep anytime soon.

Her gaze flickered to Dai to see he hadn't moved, dark blue eyes still hidden beneath heavy lids. Looking at Sasuke she found him to be standing in his same position; his arms remained crossed and his dark orbs directed at the covered window again. Slowly, she stepped away from the couch and headed towards the hallway.

Before the living room completely left her view, she stopped and shared a meaningful glance with Naruto – his azure eyes having quietly monitored her movements, "…Call me, if anything happens, okay?" She received an agreeing nod from Naruto, who offered her a small smile as he waved his hand to urge her rest, "…Night."

* * *

Sakura chose the first door that she came across – closest to the living room, farthest from the bathroom – and opened it. It was simple and barely furnished. To her immediate left was a wall and built-in, sliding-door closet. Across from her was a window, covered by thin curtains – thin enough curtains that she could see the occasional shadow pass. Beside it was a five-drawer stand that reached her neck in height with a small television set atop it. To the right of it was another window, similar to the first. On the right wall was a vanity with an oval mirror, make-up products scattered across the top. And finally, against the wall separating the bedroom and hallway, was a queen-sized bed, covered with comfortable, thick, downy blankets and fluffy pillows.

She was getting tired just _looking_ at the bed.

Ignoring the windows and the shadows beyond – and not bothering to turn on the lights since the moon provided enough luminosity – Sakura walked towards the bed, splayed her hand against the blankets and caressed the appendage along in a slow arc, loving the silkiness against her fingertips. Instantly she raised her right knee up and rolled onto the softness, sighing blissfully as she sank into the mattress, her tense muscles unwinding as unconsciousness began to grasp her weary mind.

"So tired…" Sakura mumbled as she turned her head into the pillow, one hand grasping the cool sheets while the other released her hair from its tail.

'_Ha…Ha…Ha…Ha…Haruno Sakura…We want to play…'_ The little girl's voice called out from her window.

"Ignore it…" The kunoichi murmured to herself as she clenched her eyes shut, "Just sleep…"

'_No…'_ The light voice intoned, if not a bit impatiently, _'We want to play Haruno Sakura…Play with us!'_

"No," Sakura answered spitefully, her head feeling lighter, freer, and…easing into relaxation.

'_Play with us Haruno Sakura…'_ The child repeated, _'Or else…'_

Sakura didn't answer; the moaning and whispers were filtering out of her head and she welcomed it, needed it, wanted it, and basked in the growing silence.

'…_Fine…'_

And silence prevailed for Sakura, a content smile curling her lips as her head sank deeper into the feathery pillows around her.

She needed this.

_BAM!_

Jade eyes snapped open, sleep leaving her instantly as adrenaline filled her veins, mind registering the room shake, objects on the vanity clattering to the floor, the loud sound echoing in her head similar to that of Naruto's Rasengan and Sasuke's Chidori colliding. Her body had moved on instinct, sitting up and twisting to stare at the wall with the two windows, the picture frame above the television shaking precariously.

_BAM!_

Her eyes narrowed, fingers clenching into the thick blankets in both annoyance and mystification. She just wanted to _sleep_, damn it!

'…_Oh Haruno Sakura…You're not playing the game right…We won't go ignored…Ha…Ha…Ha…'_

Angered, Sakura flung the blankets off her form and stalked towards the left-side window, throwing aside the curtains and unsurprised to see the little girl standing there, staring at her with her wide smile.

"What _are_ you?" Sakura hissed out, viridian orbs blazing, "What do you _want_?"

The little girl flickered closer, her face right against the glass pane as she looked straight into Sakura's furious gaze. Her dark eyes were bottomless – so _black_ – and her skin so _white_. Her cheeks were stained red with bloody tears, her lips tinged with the same crimson substance. She wore the most innocent, white dress, and her long dark hair was kempt and _kami_ how could a child be so terrifying?

'_We want _you_, Haruno Sakura…'_ She answered, staring up at her with that same smile, _'We want you and your blood…'_

"Why?" The Medic pleaded, desperately wanting answers.

The little girl giggled – a laugh different from the broken chant of _Ha_, it was almost musical, _almost_ sweet – and lifted a delicate hand to point her forefinger right at Sakura's face, _'We want _you_, Haruno Sakura…You…can help us _live_…'_

"Live…?"

_BAM!_

Sakura flicked her gaze away from the girl to the right. She saw the _Creature_, its dark, shadowy form crouching low before shooting forward to hit the wall.

_BAM!_

And then the _Creature_ pulled back and set itself up for another lunge. Upon closer scrutiny Sakura found that the _Creature_ was also feminine. If she could be given an age it would have been older than Sakura herself. However, unlike the child, she was tousled, long, dark hair falling over her eyes, black dress covering every inch of skin – it actually didn't look like a dress, more like tendrils of darkness – and the only pale whiteness of flesh was her face. Her dark eyes were wide, hysterical-looking, pure _wild_ swirling in those dark depths before similar blood trails seeped from the corners onto her thinned cheeks.

"What _are_ you?" The Medic whispered as the _Creature_ glared menacingly before attacking the wall again.

_BAM!_

The little girl giggled once more in response, the hand pointing at her gracefully turning palm-up, as if to offer her hand for Sakura to take, _'It doesn't matter what we are…Or who…Or when…Or how…Or why…All that matters is that you're here now…And we want to play…So play with us…'_

_BAM!_

'…_Play with us…'_

_BAM!_

'…_We like Hide-And-Seek…And Tag…'_ The girl laughed lightly, Sakura staring into her ebony eyes with incredulity for the underlying mock laced in her tone; the little girl's smile widened, showing sharp, pointed teeth and the innocence was gone and Sakura could only see a child-impersonating-monster, _'…Because when we play those games…You can _never_ catch us…And no matter where _you_ hide…We'll _always_ find you…Ha…Ha…Ha…_Always_…'_

Sakura frowned, "I'll play your game…I'll solve this mystery."

_BAM!_

The girl shook her head and her outstretched palm lay against the pane, blue energy from the ofudas crackling against her pale skin, _'…You don't understand Haruno Sakura…That's not the game…When we say come out to play, that means we need a ball…_You_ are the ball, Haruno Sakura…We need something to play with…'_ Sakura shivered involuntarily, _'It's been a while since we've played…Yoshiro was no fun,' _The child pouted, _'No fun at all…But we love the chase, shinobi are fun to chase…They put up a fight…'_

"You're sick…" The kunoichi whispered.

_BAM!_

'…_We're bored,'_ She corrected lightly, _'So let us chase you…Let us kill you…Let us feed on you…Let…Us…Live…'_

Before Sakura could follow through with her urge to take her chakra-enhanced, fisted hand and punch it through the window, a firm grasp prevented the action. She stilled with apprehension as she felt something shift behind her, watching the little girl's smile falter when another arm reached out from the Medic's peripheral vision and purposefully drew the curtains closed.

"You should be sleeping," Sasuke stated roughly as he took her arm and began leading her towards the bed.

A little surprised with his sudden appearance, Sakura allowed him to drag her towards the bed. She studied him in the short time they walked the small space, noticed the deep furrow of his brows, the clenching of his jaw, the way his eyes were narrowed, and the rigidness of his shoulders. Uchiha Sasuke could be considered an uptight bastard but she had _never_ seen him so _tensed_ before. Even the hold on her arm felt different, firmer, as if to make sure she wouldn't be pulled from his hold, as if to make sure nothing would take her away.

Was Sasuke scared?

Sakura shook her head. No, he was reacting like any Ninja in their position would: uncertain and loathing it.

'…_Stupid strangers…'_ The soft voice sang in light complaint, _'We'll kill you too…'_

Sasuke scowled in response as he pushed Sakura into a seated position on the bed, irritation lighting his eyes as he glared at the window Sakura had previously been standing in front of.

His obsidian orbs trailed back to Sakura as he stood up straighter, eyes briefly locking on the pillows, "Sleep."

_BAM!_

The kunoichi flinched at the loud noise and sighed as she shook her head, "I can't. It's too loud and all the noises and the talking and moaning and…_everything_!" She groaned as she placed her head in her hands, pink hair spilling over her shoulders as she rubbed at her eyes, tears close to falling due to the building frustration, "I _can't_."

The little girl's giggle echoed in the air, _'Sleeping is no fun Haruno Sakura…We'll never let you sleep…So you might as well play with us…HA…HA…HA!'_

Sasuke's scowl deepened as the hold Sakura had on her pastel locks tightened with aggravation. She wished she could just stop the laughter, she wished it was quiet, she wanted the taunting to stop, she didn't want to hear her name voiced by that child-like tone, and she wanted to _sleep_.

"Just go _away_…" Sakura whispered as she fell back on the bed, viridian orbs staring up at the ceiling while her hands remained in her hair, clenching and unclenching, tears still coming unbidden to her eyes.

Haruno Sakura wasn't afraid and she _knew_ that she was strong and brave, enough to stand up to any and all obstacle she would ever encounter – including this one. She knew that she should be handling herself better, that she shouldn't allow a weakness like_ tears_ to show, especially after pulling through with little trouble the night before.

But Sakura couldn't deny her frustration and building irritation and confusion, the feelings drowning her with the unease of the future. Her mind wouldn't stop processing all the information and theories running rampant in her head especially when it wanted to shut down and rest after almost thirty-six hours of no sleep. The voices and laughing and moans and the constant impact against the walls were making it worse; were crushing her with a sense of…_helplessness_.

She blinked. She was helpless. She was being thrust into the days of being a weak little Genin again and she _hated_ it. She didn't like being _weak_ and _vulnerable_ and, as an openly-emotional person, those feelings – frustration, confusion, anger, fear – were beginning to take over and overwhelm her.

Sighing, rubbing her hands over her moist eyes, Sakura frowned, "…I hate this…"

"Tch," Sakura heard the mild grunt and subsequently felt the bed sink slightly on her left side; removing her hands from her face, the kunoichi turned her head to see Sasuke sitting on the bed, back against the headboard, and Kusanagi readily waiting against the wall less than a foot away.

Sitting up also, Sakura looked at him, her pink hair falling over one shoulder as she leaned against her left arm. Sasuke remained quiet, his eyes were closed, seemingly unaffected by the noises sounding around him; his hands were resting on his lap and he was the epitome of composed impassiveness.

Sakura frowned. She envied how _he_ could do that and _she_ _couldn't_.

Slowly, she shifted in her position so she too had her back resting against the headboard, about half a foot of empty space between them, and continued to stare at the Uchiha Prodigy, wondering _how_ – despite what was going on – he could be so _calm_.

"…What are you even doing in here, Sasuke-kun?" The pastel-haired women questioned curiously as she finally looked away from him and mirrored his pose; eyes closed and hands on her lap.

"Hn…" He grunted lightly, "I heard the banging."

Sakura's brows creased, "The ofudas will hold, there's no need to check up on me…"

"…You were about to punch a hole through the wall…" Sasuke pointed out bluntly.

"No, I _wasn't_," Sakura growled half-heartedly – she couldn't deny the urge of _wanting_ to punch a hole through the wall.

"Tch."

Despite the fact that previous conversations with Sasuke – similar to the one she was having with him now – usually annoyed her, she couldn't help but feel grateful for his presence. His deep voice broke through her chaotic thoughts and the other outside whispers and because her eyes were closed she wasn't worrying about the shadows that past the windows.

It was nice, especially since it was _Sasuke_ that was helping her through the commotion.

_BAM!_

The loud noise involuntarily caused Sakura's jade orbs to open and her body to jump with startle – her heart _also_ jerking compulsively with surprise against her chest. Grimacing due to the interrupted peacefulness, Sakura clenched her fist into a tight ball, really debating whether or not she _could_ just punch out a wall or two. Sasuke's eyes had also slid open when he felt Sakura's alarmed jolt and when he looked at her he instantly recognized her infamous temper wanting to break free. But what stood out for him the most was the exhaustion on her expression, the dark circles under her eyes, the pallor of her skin; she _needed_ rest.

With a soft exhalation of breath – half in annoyance for the creatures outside and half in irritation for Sakura's lack of respite – he raised his right arm and curled it around her shoulders, pulling her closer towards him and forcing her head to fall comfortably against his chest. Sakura, who had stiffened upon his casual contact, lay absolutely still in the tense silence, feeling the Uchiha's chest rise and fall under her cheek with each steady breath he took. His arm loosely fell over her shoulders, keeping her fastened to him but not limiting her movements.

Sakura was literally surprised beyond words, not knowing what to do and far from expecting this unorthodox gesture of kind security and comfort from _Uchiha Sasuke_. Admittedly, he had opened up to her in the years since his return to Konoha; they were close, they were friends, and they were comfortable enough with one another to eat off each others' plates and stay over at each other's houses if one was too tired to make the trip to their own home. But _Sasuke_ was hardly a _physical_ being; sure there were the brief hugs – which _she_ usually initiated – the rare times they had to squeeze in close for missions, and the occasional Physical Examination she had to perform on him and Naruto at the Hospital.

But _this_?

"Um…Sasuke-kun?" She whispered uncertainly.

"Sleep Sakura," Sasuke commanded plainly, the sigh in his tone conveying his exasperation for the continued tension in her body; it wasn't like he was going to do anything inappropriate to her.

Sakura began to relax, taking comfort in the warmth Sasuke provided, shifting slightly to snuggle a little deeper into his side, head pillowed on his chest, left arm curled around his back and right arm hugged to her own torso, "…Alright," She smiled, closing her eyes as she focused on the steady beating of his heart; the whispers and moans and banging against the wall _at last_ beginning to fade away from her mind, "…Thank you, Sasuke-kun."

The Uchiha Prodigy breathed in deeply and slid his hand once along her shoulder in response, "Hn."

_Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum._

Uchiha Sasuke's heartbeat sounded nice. It was strong and…_safe_.

_Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum._

Sakura smiled a final time as the sound of his beating heart lulled her into unconsciousness, her right hand absently grasping his shirt, as if to keep his protective security anchored to her.

_Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum._

_Finally_, Haruno Sakura embraced sleep with open arms.

* * *

Naruto frowned as he lay across the couch, arms resting behind his head, sapphire blinking up at the dark ceiling. All the noises were becoming a constant humming in his ears as he tried to ignore the sounds to the best of his ability. Sporadically, a loud pounding could be heard coming from the bedroom next to the living room but Sasuke had already left without a word to undoubtedly check on Sakura before Naruto and Dai could even _think_ about doing it. Though, if there was ever someone to trust Sakura's safety with – besides _himself_, of course – it would be Sasuke. The Uchiha-bastard cared about the pink-haired Medic more than he would ever admit. The silent thought caused Naruto to snort softly but he welcomed the small distraction – his thoughts helped him forget about what was going on around him, and contrary to what other people might believe Naruto did value his thinking moments.

So, he began reflecting about his and his team's situation. There had been a lot of things he had faced in his eighteen years of life – fighting S-Class Criminals, saving the world from power-hungry maniacs, taming the Nine-Tails Fox in his body, fighting his _best friend_ almost to the point where they were both knocking on Death's door – so Naruto wasn't that type of man to run away from problems, or back-down from a challenge; in fact, he met threats head-on and fought until his very last shallow breaths because he had something to believe in, something to prove, people to fight for and protect.

But this Mission…

_This_ Mission was unlike anything he had ever faced. Maybe it was Bird Country in general – he clearly remembered helping Toki-sama with her own ghost problem many years ago – or maybe it was because of the sheer vulnerability he felt as he watched a dead corpse _attack_ one of his best friends and after cutting off its head and leg – when it should _already_ be dead – the thing was still moving, _still_ trying to find some way to kill them or…_eat them_.

He shuddered.

Uzumaki Naruto didn't show fear – his greatest fear would probably be losing his team, his best friends, _everyone _he cares for; being utterly and completely _alone_ – but as he lay there listening to the eerie laughter of children, the rattling sounds of windows, a raspy voice that desired for his flesh and blood, Naruto couldn't help but think that this Mission was going to test his strengths and fears in the most horrific and gruesome of ways. He didn't want to be alone surrounded by these noises and he was glad that his teammates were just meters away from him – and a small part was selfishly relieved that he hadn't been in Sakura's position the night before; he would not have been able to handle it as well as she probably did. He didn't want to lose his friends to this terror; he wanted to protect them, even if it meant giving up his life for them.

But, _how_ could he protect them when there was almost _nothing_ to know about their enemy?

When Naruto and Sasuke had ran from Iwagakure no Sato to save their pastel-haired friend he had expected bandits, criminals, shinobi, _people_ that he could beat into a bloody pulp. He'd call forth his shadow clones and Rasengan and use his fists and feet to drive back any and all adversaries so he could save his best friend – that same best friend who he'd set free and fight side-by-side with, including Sasuke, to justly punish whoever it was that chose to mess with their team.

Instead he stumbled upon a scared, blood-covered Haruno Sakura with stories of her experiences concerning ghosts and other unnatural creatures.

It was hard to believe at first, he was just as skeptical as Sasuke, but he waited to see it because Sakura would _never_ lie.

And saw it he did. Saw it, heard it, felt the same fear Sakura did and despising the fact that those feelings of panic and trepidation were bothering him more than he'd like.

Naruto simply _didn't know_ what to_ do_.

He had never encountered these creatures, they couldn't be dealt with the same way people and shinobi could be dealt with, and that unknown scared him. He didn't know what to do to protect his teammates; he didn't know what to do if this _Curse_ spread to his own home Village and killed even _more_ innocent people.

And Naruto _hated_ that _helplessness_.

He was supposed to be Konohagakure no Sato's Number One Unpredictable Ninja; Hidden Leaf's Hero; Legendary Uzumaki Naruto!

But _here_, in this abandoned Border Village in Rain Country, Uzumaki Naruto was _nothing_ but _afraid_.

He frowned, hands clenching behind his head, cobalt orbs narrowing in increasing irritation, "Damn it!"

There had to be _something_ he could do.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

Naruto felt his spine stiffen, slowly sat up to gaze at the fireplace warily while Dai's eyes opened and followed his gaze.

'…_Those two are no fun,'_ The little girl's voice stated sulkily through the thin plank and rice bags, _'So, you should play with us, Dai-san, you and the stranger…Come out and play…'_

Dai's dark blue eyes slid towards Naruto, noticing the blonde's knuckle-white grasp on one of the couch's throw pillows, and frowned deeply when he stared at the covered hearth again.

"Just ignore her, Naruto-san," The Chuunin offered, gaining his attention, "She can't do anything with the seals in place. She wants your fear…She taunts for a reaction."

"Why?" Naruto asked as he sat up a little straighter, briefly glancing back at the fireplace before giving Dai his full attention.

"It's the game they play," Dai replied as he rubbed his tired eyes, "A mind game…_at first,_ that is. They try to bother you with their noises and sounds, make you feel trapped and claustrophobic, and it doesn't help that the method used to keep us _safe_ and them _locked out_ is to also a method that involves locking ourselves _in_," He sighed, leaning his head back and staring at the ceiling, "I've seen great men and women fall to insanity because of the noises these creatures make and the words that child speaks…They'll even go as far as killing themselves for the silence, or opening the doors and windows thinking they might have a running chance to just _get away_ from all the noise," His eyes slid back to Naruto, frown deepened, "That's when the _physical_ game begins…These things like the _chase_, they like to _play_ with their victims. Just like Yoshiro-san, they'll rip their prey apart, or lay out traps, or even let you go _thinking_ you might actually escape, only to be snatched away just out of reach of leaving the nightmare…These creatures are _cruel_ and they _love it_."

"How do you know about all this?" Naruto asked, just as the soft knocking sounded again – but he ignored it, following Dai's advice, "I mean, just how much have you been through?"

"I've experienced it for the past five years, ever since I became a Chuunin and Toki-sama assigned me the Mission," Dai answered quietly, looking down at his upturned hands, "But even before I was officially put on the job I was studying up, finding out all that I could from all the veterans that were dealing with the problem before I came into the picture. Before I entered the field I researched every report I could get my hands on, every death that occurred, every single sighting and encounter that was reported because I wanted to be ready when I finally joined them; I wanted to be ready for what I was going to inevitably face…" He shook his head, hands closing into tight fists, "There was a man who had helped me…His name was Sasaki Yuudai. He allowed me to take part in the meetings and listen in on briefings even though I was just a kid. He'd even tell me stories of when _he_ went into the forest: said things about some creatures having special powers and techniques and told me exactly _how_ people died. He was initially reluctant to share the information – but I begged him to. Takeru-san always disagreed about letting me hang around all the time, but Yuudai-sensei…he knew why I was there, he knew I was the kid that lost his sister in one of the first attacks; he knew that I needed to hear _everything_…

Naruto could see Dai's eyes becoming unfocused, could see the boy had started talking more to _himself_ than to his company, and because Dai's expression was starting to take on a helpless expression – one _he_ too was becoming familiar with – Naruto decided to break him out of his trance, "…So this Yuudai-san knows a lot then? Will he be able to help fill in the blanks for us when we reach your Village?"

Unexpectedly, Dai's shoulders slackened, his hands falling limply in his lap, fingers curling out of their tensed fists; his eyes had connected with Naruto's and the blonde was surprised to see sadness swirling in their depths, "…Yuudai-sensei was killed about four months ago. One day he just went into the forest, carrying an axe over his shoulder…and he never came back."

Naruto didn't know what to say. He opened his mouth, but no words would fall out.

Dai shook his head, oblivious to Naruto's speechlessness as he continued on, "Takeru-san suspects Yuudai-sensei had been onto something, but Takeru-san _always_ suspects…He's been in this too long and he's growing weary with every passing day that comes with no results. It doesn't help that he's not too happy with Toki-sama putting me – a _kid_ – half-in-charge also…But I think he's right that Yuudai-sensei might have found something, he was a smart shinobi, and _he_ was the one that figured out the use of excessive-chakra wards in the first place…"

"…He sounds like a good man," Naruto finally said, a part of him reminiscing back to Jiraiya and even Kakashi, he grinned at Dai, catching the boy's attention, the Chuunin a little confused with his happy expression, "If there's anything I know about smart teachers, it's that they're proud of us and that it's _our_ job to finish what they started and to carry on their legacy and teachings…We'll figure out this mystery, for your sister and for Yuudai-sensei! You'll carry the mantle and pick up where Yuudai-sensei left off, believe it!"

For a few moments, Dai stared at Naruto. Seeing the blonde sitting across from him, grinning brightly despite the constant knocking and pounding and groaning going on around them, Dai couldn't help but slowly return his smile, gaining confidence and motivation in his words, wanting to carry through and honor Yuudai just as Naruto said to. As he looked at Naruto, bright against the darkness of the room, Dai began to see for the first time why the boy was so famous and inspirational. He said things that made sense, made him believe, made Dai want to prove those words true, and realizing that made him see just how much of a hero Uzumaki Naruto really was.

"You're right," Dai agreed, his hands clenching with anticipation, new vigor filling him to solve the mystery that had plagued him for the past ten years, "You're absolutely right, Naruto-san! I will; I'll carry on Yuudai-san's responsibility with pride!"

"That's the spirit!"

'…_You'll die just like he did…'_ The child giggled gleefully.

"Shut up!" Naruto growled, glaring at the fireplace angrily.

'_No.'_

Naruto snarled as he crossed his arms over his chest and made himself comfortable on the couch, ready for a _long_ night. However, his azure orbs caught Dai's and he offered a devious wink in his direction, a smirk crossing his lips.

"We'll get them," The blonde assured, "And with Team Seven on the job it'll only be a matter of time before we get a _Mission Success_."

Dai nodded, a new hope blooming in his chest as he looked down at his lap. Naruto was right. They could do this.

"And I know what to do now," Naruto murmured to himself as he stared at the fireplace with narrowed, cobalt orbs, "I'll _persevere_, just like I've always done. This might not be the common enemy but when have _I_ _ever_ given up?" He grinned, "I'm not denying that I'm scared…I'm scared _shitless_. But I've got my friends and I'm going to protect them and _everyone_ that needs protecting from these creatures, because that's my Ninja Way – my _Nindo_," He chuckled lightly as he stared up at the ceiling, "I don't even know _why_ I doubted myself in the first place."

'_You doubted yourself because you fear,'_ The little girl voiced simply, condescendingly, _'You will die…You _know_ you will die…We'll kill you…' _Another melodious giggle, _'We promise…'_

Naruto simply snorted, lifting his head to glare at the fireplace as heatedly as any fire that previously burned there, "Good luck with that; I don't die so easily."

'…_We'll see…'_

* * *

**A/N:** Finally **Chapter Ten!** Yay! Who liked the **SASUSAKU FLUFFINESS**? Haha, I really hope you did! I actually liked this chapter; I delved into the mind a bit more, especially Naruto's. As much as I like the fear and slightly comedic reaction Naruto displays I think he's the type of boy who'd analyze his fear a bit before making a decision, and being Uzumaki Naruto, he isn't going to back down. Don't worry, he's still scared and he'll get scared at times in the future, but now his mindset is a little more solidified and he knows what he has to do to help – plus there isn't true **Naruto** without **Narutoism**, sharing his beliefs to someone who might be losing faith and hope and inspiring that someone to make a positive change so things can get done. Hope everyone stayed **IC**, please tell me what you think? I would really appreciate it!

Sorry again, by the way, for the additional Dai-wordiness, I had to get in more story and it helped introduce a few more characters without it being all at once when you read the next chapter and Team Seven and Dai arrive in Dai's home Village. Again, please let me know what you think and how I'm doing so far!

For anyone confused, just drop a **review** or** PM** me and I'll get back to you and answer as best as I can without giving away the plot!

As for the **100 Reviews** THANK YOU EVERYONE! I really wanted to get this chapter out to you sooner but it wasn't perfect for me yet and I'd rather get you a _good_ chapter that's _late_ than an _early_ chapter that _sucks_. So thanks for being patient and hope you enjoyed!

**Disclaimer: **Nope!

**Next Chapter: **_Chapter Eleven – The Group_ (**Update:** 6-10 days)

**Review Shout-Outs:**

_Brokenpureshards_, _shkh4ever_, _LittleGreenWolf_, _CiiCiinREX_, _Joy-girl_, _inkblots101_, _Ai_, _Song-of-Angellus_, _sasusaku-EienAi_, _Lady Kunoichi_, _Ladyrogue214_, _callix_, _Ice of the Kitsune's Fire_, _Chiaretta Aria_, _Sakura's Indecision_, _justmebutterfreetoo_, _Sabrestrike_, _sasusaku70123_, _JWJ_, _innocent blusher_, and _ILuvKellanForever_.

**You guys are the best, thank you so much for reading and reviewing and I hope to continue to scare and suspense you on the ride that is **_**The Curse**_**! This tenth chapter is dedicated to YOU!**

* * *

**UPDATES TO LOOK OUT FOR:  
**_It All Started With – Chapter 17  
False Façade – Chapter 2  
Forbidden Bonds – Chapter 5  
Missing In Action - Chapter 2_

* * *

_**EDIT:**_ Thank you _Sakura's Indecision_ I changed – in the previous chapter – the regular scalpel to the chakra scalpel since a regular one wouldn't be able to cut against flesh and _bone_. :)

_**And**_! If anyone is confused about the Mapping of this story, I'd recommend checking out the World Map at (www . leafninja . com) Just take out the parentheses and spaces, it's where I get a lot of my _**Naruto Information**_! :)

**Oh!** One last thing! Anyone got a _**Twitter?**_ I made one for the sole purpose of making friends who have the same interests as me (Naruto, Inuyasha, Fullmetal Alchemist, Final Fantasy VII, Anime in general), let me know, I'm open to new friendships and whatever, up to you, just **PM** me or drop a **review! **Happy reading everyone!

**Oh!** And I plan on sending out some **Pokémon (AAML)**, **Fullmetal Alchemist (EdWin)**, and **Final Fantasy VII (CloudTifa)** Fictions too, so if you're FANS, please check them out! :)

**You Are All The Best! And Feel Free To PM Me About Recent Naruto Manga Chapters Too! Heehee!**

_**LotzaLove!  
Len83  
aka  
Luvinukag83**_


	11. Base

**The Curse**

_**Chapter Eleven: Base**_

Sakura groaned as she curled in on herself, her head comfortably burying into the soft pillows surrounding her, arms hugging her chest tightly to retain any warmth that morning's coolness had produced. Her knees pulled up slightly, shifting the blankets caught in her legs, and her pink brows creased as one hand ventured outward to search for the familiar body-warmth that had helped her through the night. Her lips curled downward when her fingertips touched nothing but cold sheets and with another soft groan, Sakura's bleary, emerald eyes opened, disappointed to see an empty bedside and the bedroom door open.

Twisting, Sakura eyed the windows, the gossamer curtains allowing her to see the grey, foggy light of early morning, her shoulders sagging in slight relief with the day's arrival. Sitting up, messy pink hair falling over her face and her body sluggishly moving at her command, the kunoichi switched her gaze to the door, wondering where Sasuke had gone and why it seemed so silent.

"Guys?" Sakura called, frowning at the raspy-edge to her voice, though she unconsciously spread her chakra to discern where everyone was, "Sasuke-kun?"

Her frown deepened when her chakra sensed no other presences in the house. Rubbing her arms, trying to gain back some body-heat, Sakura pondered where everyone could have gone. They could have gathered food, checked the perimeter, studied any damage from the night, or left to obtain evidence; all viable reasons. But knowing her team, at least one of them would have stayed behind so she didn't have to wake up _alone_, especially under the current circumstances. She fixed her sights to the wall, her brows creasing when she caught sight of Sasuke's Kusanagi.

Sakura's rubbing stopped, she sat up a little straighter. Sasuke never left his Kusanagi behind.

_Thump._

Sakura stiffened, eyes trailing to the door before they darted towards the window, making sure that it was indeed daylight outside.

"Naruto?" She tried calling out again, heart thudding rapidly in distress, "Dai-san? Sasuke-kun? I-Is that you?"

_Thump._

"Guys?"

_Thump_.

A pale, grey hand reached up from beside the bed, startling Sakura to quickly scoot away, watching as the long fingers grasped the white sheets before its partner joined just half a foot away. Fear immediately gripped her heart, her hands clenching as she watched a dark head begin to rise, pale-white skin of a forehead, and then wide, hysterical-mad eyes that stared straight through frightened emerald.

'…_Ha…Ru…No…Sa…Ku…Ra…'_ It whispered softly, a crimson stained mouth finally coming into view.

"NO!" Sakura cried out.

'_BLOOD!'_

The creature lunged, Sakura's arms came up on the defensive but those grey hands had already latched onto her throat. _Cold_ hands that still burned her flesh as crazed eyes stared down at her, blood dripping from the creature's mouth onto her cheeks and it _hurt_. The kunoichi raised her hands to push the shadow away, surprise taking hold of her as she watched her skin become covered in black, devouring her in darkness.

"Help!" She choked, "H-Help! Naruto! S-Sasuke-kun!"

'_Your blood is MINE!'_

"SASUKE-KUN!"

'_DIE HARUNO SAKURA!'_

* * *

"Sakura!"

Emerald eyes snapped open only to immediately connect with bottomless, _concerned_ obsidian. Warm hands were gently grasping her shoulders and for a moment Sakura stared up at Uchiha Sasuke with a mixture of wonder and absolute relief; and then she gasped, having unknowingly held her breath upon her awakening and now allowing much needed air to fill her lungs in gulps, her fingers unconsciously digging into the bed sheets and Sasuke's shirt.

Sasuke watched her with fractionally widened eyes as she quickly sat up, her stare darting towards the window, the edge of the bed, her arms, all the while continuing to gasp, the fear in her expression completely evident. The Uchiha had woken to her shouting in her sleep, her face had twisted into terror, and when she had screamed his name in desperation Sasuke had snapped out of his trance and quickly grabbed her shoulders to try and wake her from her nightmare.

"It was a dream, Sakura," He started off slowly, rubbing her shoulders and gaining her attention, "You're okay."

Sakura silently stared at him, her eyes still wide but her breathing was beginning to steady. Briefly, she looked down at her arms, making sure the tendrils of darkness weren't wrapped around her before bringing a hand to her face, feeling wetness but to her relief it wasn't blood – just tears.

Letting a strangled noise emerge from her throat, Sakura leaned forward and rested her forehead against Sasuke's right shoulder, taking comfort in his presence and that he hadn't left her alone; that she was _awake_ and nothing had attacked her. She felt Sasuke's hand hesitantly connect with her back before he rubbed reassuringly along her spine.

"Even when I'm sleeping those things bother me," She complained softly, closing her eyes and shaking her head, "I _do not_ want to deal with this _every night_…"

Sasuke chose not to say anything but Sakura didn't mind, she pulled back and ran her fingers through her tangled locks, looking out the window to see a sunnier day than her dream provided. Glancing back at Sasuke, seeing his eyes had followed her gaze to the window; she couldn't help but smile lightly as she touched his hand to gain his attention.

When his dark eyes met hers, Sakura gratefully squeezed two of his fingers, "Thank you, Sasuke-kun. For helping me through the night…And for waking me; I really appreciate it."

The kunoichi noticed that the Uchiha had a tendency to stare for a prolonged amount of time, especially when she spoke with him, but she honestly didn't mind, keeping the smile on her face until Sasuke looked away and offered a quiet, "Hn," in response.

It was in that moment that the bedroom door opened, a pale and haggard Uzumaki Naruto entering the room stiffly, walked towards them, stopped at the edge of the bed beside Sasuke, and promptly fell face-first into the mattress. Sasuke scowled lightly as the bed shook with the force of the blonde's fall while Sakura stared down at the back of Naruto's head with a concerned frown.

"Naruto," She called as she touched his shoulder, "Are you okay?"

A muffled, "I didn't get _any_ sleep last night," answered her.

Sakura smiled sympathetically as she soothingly rubbed his back, "…We might have to get used to it."

"And that little girl is _freaky_!" Another stifled response; he then turned onto his side, blue eyes glancing at his two teammates, "I don't know _why_ I didn't just come in _here_ with you guys!" He pouted, "I mean, I could have slept _fine_ next to _you_, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura chuckled as she ran her hand through his messy, blonde spikes. Naruto could feel a light glare being directed at him, but he ignored it in favor of curling his lips into a devious smile.

"…Or maybe not," Naruto sighed dramatically as he turned onto his back and stared at the ceiling, "Heard a lot of banging coming from this room last night…Wouldn't have wanted to interrupt on your _fun_."

Naruto felt the dark glare directed at him intensify tenfold, "_Dobe_."

Sakura blushed a furious shade of crimson as she slapped him on the chest, earning a short laugh from the blonde, "_Naruto_!"

"What?" Naruto asked innocently, though his expression was sparked with mischief – and Sakura could tell he was fighting his grin, "Whatever gets you to ignore all those loud noises and helps you sleep at night; I won't judge."

Sakura could feel the heat increase on her face and before she could lunge and squash her embarrassment by pummeling the boy before her he had already shot off the bed and was laughing hysterically as he ran out the room.

Sakura clenched her fist, "Why that little–"

"_Idiot_," Sasuke finished darkly, standing up after his statement was made and grabbing his Kusanagi from the wall.

And despite what had just happened and the pure embarrassment Sakura had just endured, she laughed. It was a soft laugh, a giggle even, but she welcomed it. She could feel some of the tension in her shoulders begin to unwind, her nightmare was just a fleeting thought in her head, and Sakura was beginning to remember and appreciate why she loved _Team Seven_ missions so much. Yes, it had been a while since the three of them had been together on an assignment, but facing this new obstacle, finding her team dynamic with both Naruto and Sasuke after so many months without it – without _them_ – it came so easily and that thought alone lifted her heart.

She realized that if she was on this same Mission with anyone besides Sasuke and Naruto, she'd probably go insane. Her boys kept her grounded, her boys kept her on her toes, they cheered her up when she wasn't feeling at her best, and they kept her safe when she wasn't feeling her bravest. Naruto's silly antics and the sleep that Sasuke helped provide had put her in much better spirits.

They _completed_ her.

"Something funny?" Sasuke drawled as he gazed at her and strapped on his Grass Cutter, though Sakura recognized a hint of curiosity in his onyx eyes.

"Nothing," Sakura assured with a smile, waving her hand dismissively as she stood up and stretched, "Though I'll make a deal with you."

Sasuke quirked a single brow to show that he was listening.

"You give Naruto a good whack to the head for me and I'll give you extra onigiri for breakfast," She offered, placing her hair in a messy yet effective bun, "If _I'm_ starving I'm pretty sure everyone else is too; and before we leave for Bird Country I'd rather we have the energy to make the trip."

Sasuke smirked lightly before turning on his heel, "Add in some jasmine tea and it's done."

Sakura chuckled as she followed him out of the bedroom, "Deal."

* * *

Despite the fact that everyone was feeling a little more well-rested and relieved with the day's arrival, the undercurrent of unease was still present and obvious. But Naruto did his best to keep the mood positive, complaining to Sasuke as he rubbed his abused head while the Uchiha rolled his eyes and polished his weapons. Dai sat on the recliner, curiously examining the two ninjas' interactions, amused and intrigued by how such different and clashing personalities got along so well. It reminded him of someone else he knew and the friendship he had with him.

Before Dai could delve even deeper into his thoughts Sakura appeared with a light smile and a few dining wares in hand, mechanically setting down the ceramic bowls, silverware and cups before disappearing back towards the kitchen. It was voted unanimously by the group that their small breakfast would be eaten in the living room; away from the mess Yoshiro's body had left the night before.

"Something smells _good_!" Naruto crowed excitedly as he took a seat on the floor and scooted closer to the table, grabbing a bowl for himself, "What's for breakfast, Sakura-chan?"

When Sakura didn't answer immediately, Sasuke threw a glare at Naruto, stood up, leaving his katana on the couch, and followed where the kunoichi had disappeared to, "Hn."

Dai watched the Uchiha go, curious, before shifting his sights to find Naruto grinning widely – almost _triumphantly_, "…Naruto-san?"

"Huh?" The blonde asked, turned away from the hallway as if he had been broken from a pleased daze, "Did you say something, Dai-san?"

The Chuunin quirked an inquiring eyebrow towards Naruto's strange behavior before he cast another suspicious glance where Sasuke and Sakura had gone, "Is…Is something going on between Sakura-san and Sasuke-san?"

Naruto immediately snorted – surprising Dai – before he held up his bowl and began to play around with it, "Sasuke-teme and Sakura-chan _want_ each other; simple as that…They're just too wimpy to say anything. They're so _obvious_ too."

"Really?" Dai questioned, surprised once again, "Well…If it's that obvious, why is it so hard?"

"A lot of things, I guess," Naruto shrugged as he inspected one of the cups, "Past, present, future…" He looked up thoughtfully and shrugged again, "Or just emotional constipation from Sasuke-teme and constant denial from Sakura-chan."

"I see…" Dai replied, though he couldn't deny his amusement with the situation.

"But they're getting there," The blonde assured with a wide grin, "It's only a matter of _time_."

"You seem confident, Naruto-san."

"It's because it's _meant to be_," Naruto answered simply, smirking, "You'll see. The more time you spend with them it'll become obvious to you too…You'll see."

"See what?" Sakura asked as she stepped into the living room, one hand holding a plate stacked with onigiri and the other carrying a pot of warm tea. Sasuke entered right beside her, holding a bowl that turned out to be ramen when he set it on the table, though his eyes were glaring heatedly at Naruto, apparently, he wasn't as oblivious to the conversation as Sakura was.

"He'll see that I can eat a whole bowl of ramen without breaking a sweat!" Naruto grinned jovially as he reached for the bowl, only for Sakura to swat it away with some chopsticks she had on hand.

"_Share_, Naruto."

The blonde shinobi pouted but nodded his head, "…Yes, Sakura-chan."

* * *

Sakura leaned sullenly against the bathroom sink, staring at the porcelain bathtub across from her and the ash and cinder mess inside. There was nothing left for her to use to help further her study, Yoshiro's body was completely reduced to grey dust, and she pouted when not even a single scrap of full bone seemed to be left intact. Dai had burned the corpse into a useless powder and, although it completely prevented reanimation, it left Sakura feeling a few steps behind in solving the mystery. Sighing, the Medic turned towards her medical bag, which rested on the toilet, rummaging through the pockets before producing some spare, glass jars and vials that she always kept in her inventory.

She made sure to take a few samples of, what looked like, charred skin and organs; a few splinters of hard material that seemed to resemble bone; some of the melted substance that had crusted on the side of the tub, most likely due to the heat of Dai's fire Jutsus; and even stored a seemingly intact tooth. As she shifted through the mess, kneeling beside the tub, the grimace wouldn't leave her face. To think that she talked to the man she was currently running her hands through just two days prior.

"Sakura-chan, I cleaned up all that gross stuff and put it in the trash bag," Naruto stated as he poked his head into the bathroom and presented his assignment, his nose scrunched up in distaste, "And the top of his head was still there…So I threw that in too," Sakura turned to face him just in time to witness his shiver.

She smiled gratefully and stood, pocketing the filled vials back into her medical bag before shouldering it, "Thanks Naruto, I appreciate it."

"Do you really think this'll help?" Naruto asked curiously as he and Sakura began walking towards the front of the house; he shook the bag – considerably lighter than the day before with a smaller lump inside – the contents shifting and squelching with the action; Naruto gagged again.

"Every little thing helps," Sakura explained as they exited the front door, Sakura immediately turning right and making her way to the side of the house, specifically the side where the bedrooms were located.

Dai and Sasuke were packed and already present, and the tell-tale dark trail substance the _Creature_ left behind was visible also. It wasn't hard to miss the thick matter decorating the side of the house, in between the two windows of the room she and Sasuke had been in that night; the area that the _Creature_ kept impacting. Efficiently, Sakura removed a few more extra vials and began taking samples, Dai quietly examining the trail as it came from the main street and most likely led back to the Bridge and forest.

"Four hours, you said, right Dai-san?" Sakura asked, as she scooped the substance into the glass jars, careful not to touch it; she was trying to break the silence, it felt tense all of a sudden, "To get to your Village?"

"Yes," Dai nodded, "It's not a hard journey, just lengthy. And since its daylight we won't run into any trouble."

"I wonder why they don't like daylight," Naruto voiced, plastic bag slung over his shoulder as he watched Sakura do what she needed to do.

"I suspect it has to do with light and heat," Dai answered as he gazed at the rising sun, "Similar affects that fire has on them."

"But you said they adapt to fire," Sasuke pointed out.

"They adapt, yes, but if done continuously, like I tried with Yoshiro, they'll eventually burn and die," Dai replied informatively, "Unlike Yoshiro, who could barely move with his missing limbs, these creatures are fast and fire Jutsus aren't usually powerful enough or can be maintained long enough to burn them into ash in so little time, they'll move away or fight through it…So because the sun is continuous, they can't handle the constant light…" He shrugged, "It's a theory, but it's most plausible."

"I agree," Sakura sighed as she stood up, clearly finished with her extraction as she stored away the jars into her pack, "I think your theory is right."

"If that's the case," Sasuke stated as he began to follow Sakura back to the main street, Naruto and Dai behind him, "Then where are they when morning comes?"

Sakura shook her head, "No idea," She glanced at Dai from over her shoulder, "And I'm guessing you don't know either, else you would have already done something about it."

Dai frowned, "Somewhere in the Tri-Point Forest. That's all we know."

Sasuke frowned, "Hn."

The four Shinobi walked back towards the Bridge, ambling alongside the dark trail, mulling over their varying thoughts in deep contemplation. Sakura couldn't stop the different speculations running through her mind, analyzing every piece of evidence she collected and how they were connected together; she couldn't help but feel like the puzzle pieces weren't fitting together because something was missing, or wasn't right. Sasuke was reasonably annoyed with his and his team's situation and although this Makato Dai seemed well-intentioned, something about the boy didn't seem authentic about him; his onyx eyes narrowed fractionally with suspicion. Naruto wasn't oblivious to the tension – he could be smart when he wanted to be, he analyzed when he had to – but something about the situation made him want to let Sakura figure it out and let her take the reins since she knew more and could gather more with all she had experienced and gathered in her evidence, he would patiently stand by and do whatever it is she asked.

"Four hours," Dai repeated as they crossed the Bridge, ignoring the faded trail of scarlet, "We're heading directly west."

Sakura nodded, clutching her messenger bag tighter to her side, "No stopping or rest, straight shot. However, if something pops out to any of us, anything that might be good evidence, we'll check it out."

All three males nodded with agreement and after a final glance at the foreboding entrance of the Tri-Point Forest, and four simultaneous inhales, they jumped into the companies as dark blurs, hastily making their way through, tension coiling in their shoulders as Team Seven thought that traveling in broad daylight had never before felt so nerve-racking.

* * *

Three and a half hours was mostly spent in silence. Sakura felt a little unsure about how to feel for the quiet; on the one hand it was a little relaxing opposed to the constant moaning and pounding from the night before, she rather enjoyed the occasional song from birds in their passing; however, with that calm also brought forth the chaos of her mind, leaving her thinking too much and anxious that the stillness was foreboding and something could happen in any given second of carelessness. She reasoned that there should be nothing to worry about; once she and her companions had past the clearing where Yoshiro's body was found everything seemed fine, looked _peaceful_, and if her memory had been wiped of the past few days she would have thought she was running through one of the most beautiful and tranquil forests she had ever encountered.

Unfortunately, Haruno Sakura had a very good memory.

It also didn't help that the sporadic squelching from the bag slung over Naruto's shoulder also reminded her exactly what she and her team were in for.

_Squelch_.

She flinched, tightening her hold on the strap of her medical bag, feeling a little sympathetic to Naruto, who had to _carry_ the valuable baggage. As if on cue, she could hear the blonde groan sordidly from behind her.

"Almost there," Dai assured, his brows creased in apology as he looked back at them.

Sakura picked up her speed to run alongside Dai, catching his curious attention, "Where did you say your Village was, Dai-san? I mean, you said it's a four hour run from Rain's Border Village and it's been three and a half hours but there's still so much forest ahead of us…It sounds like you live in a–"

"–Border Village also," Dai finished with a nod; he smirked as he glanced at her, "You're very perceptive Sakura-san, perhaps Nara-san _wasn't_ the better choice; _you_ clearly are."

Sakura blushed lightly at the flattery but pressed forward, "Thank you, but if your Village is a Border Village and you're still currently based there then I'm assuming that it hasn't been overrun by these creatures."

Dai shook his head, "No it hasn't, but that was because of the wards Yuudai-sensei created…We place them in key areas at the forest's entrance and replace them once every two weeks. _Those_ seals are harder to make because it requires more chakra, but Toki-sama is always sure that shinobi at the Capitol donate some of their chakra to create them."

Sakura nodded her head, informed of Sasaki Yuudai, apparently a mentor of sorts to Dai, during breakfast at the prompting of Naruto.

"It doesn't mean that we still don't have our share of disappearances," Dai continued in a sigh, "They're mostly reckless people who don't believe in _The Curse_ and are trying to prove a point, daredevils who want to see _The Curse_ with their own eyes and try to make a name of themselves if they get out alive – which they don't," He frowned, "Sometimes even kids who don't know the boundaries and wander in…It's lessened since I set up a Patrolling Duty but it's difficult to keep; most of the shinobi are working with me to get answers so they don't have the time, and civilians are too feint at heart to really participate…Patrolling is tough, I'll admit; when you're walking along the edge of the forest you'll see things, you'll hear things, sometimes they'll even walk beside you as you make your rounds, but only as far as the seals will allow…Though it's usually the _Little Girl_ and the _Creature_…They're fast enough to pull you in if you take a wrong step, or they're fast enough to pull away, back into the forest, if you decide to attack them…"

"…I may just have to try this Patrolling Duty," Sakura murmured thoughtfully, considering the possibilities with the new information.

"My Village is far from peaceful," The Chuunin informed, "We're a crop and farming community and our profits have dropped drastically since the attacks started ten years ago. The fields are near the forests so workers are too afraid to go out and tend to them. The outcome of this mystery's solution will affect my Village greatly. Out of fear many families have moved into the Capitol, so it's pretty deserted, besides the group of shinobi I work with and the few brave civilians and families that support us in solving the problem…Once this problem is solved people will return and the Village can hopefully thrive again."

Sakura watched Dai, could see the sadness in his dilemma and touched his shoulder briefly in comfort, smiling at him gently when he looked her way, "I will work to the best of my ability to help you solve this mystery, Dai-san. I promise."

Slowly, he smiled, appreciation sparking his navy eyes, "Thank you, Sakura-san."

Nodding once, Sakura returned her hand to her side and shifted her gaze forward, a small pressure settling in her heart as she began to think about the weight of this mystery's resolution. An entire Village – an entire Country, in fact _three_ countries, perhaps even the _world_ – were now counting on her and her Team to assist Dai with this _Curse_ and its prevention of spreading. Lives were on the line, loved ones were waiting to be avenged, this problem was becoming bigger than Sakura initially realized and she knew that, as someone that Dai had specifically called for her help – and on the desperation of _deception_, no less – she couldn't let him down; she didn't want to let _anyone_ down.

Emerald eyes narrowing with determination, Sakura's grip tightened on her messenger bag's strap, a strong resolve building throughout her entire body.

Haruno Sakura was a kunoichi. She was smart. She had reliable and strong teammates with her. She could do this. This was her _job_.

_Squelch._

"Sasuke-teme, can you _please_ just carry it the rest of the way!" Naruto complained; Sakura looked over her shoulder just in time to see Naruto hold out the bag towards the glaring Uchiha, who was clearly making no move to take it, "I can't take it anymore!"

Sasuke's eyes slid from Naruto to the bag before he smirked, "No."

"Aw, come on!" The blonde pleaded as he shook the thing, eliciting more disturbing sounds as he paled.

Brows pinching together in sympathy, Sakura slowed her pace and held her hand out to her blue-eyed best friend, "I'll take it, Naruto."

The self-proclaimed future Hokage's face lit up, but before he could pass the black plastic over a hand had already roughly jerked it from his grasp, a scowl on Sasuke's face as he looked at his newly acquired possession with disgust before picking up speed, leaving a bewildered Sakura and grinning Naruto behind, "Hn."

"Thanks Sasuke-teme!" Naruto called out gleefully, only to be – unsurprisingly – ignored.

Sakura glanced at the two in mild confusion before dropping her outstretched hand, inwardly shrugging and brushing off their behavior as typical. Biting her lip as she returned to her earlier thoughts, the four continued the last stretch of their journey through the Tri-Point Forest.

* * *

When the trees parted into open fields and farming land Sakura couldn't help but release a soft exhalation of breath, a bit of relief coursing through her veins as she realized that she was once again occupying a _civilized_ atmosphere. Two days and two nights in the Rain Border Village felt far _longer _and her shoulders sagged with the apprehension of being able to have a full, undisturbed night of rest. It was when she past the last lining of trees of the Tri-Point Forest – literally the edge – into the clear fields did she become aware of the red ribbons flying in the breeze. The scarlet tendrils were tied to posts stuck into the ground which were wrapped in wards that looked similar to Dai's. Every twenty-five meters another red-ribbon-decorated-post would be spotted, acting as a marked barrier – a _do not cross_ – to be wary of, concerning the very forest she and her comrades had just emerged from.

The kunoichi wasn't the only one to have noticed; Sasuke, who was several steps ahead of her, had stopped beside one of the posts and was examining it thoughtfully, noticing that a ward decorated each side of the square-shaped beam – four wards total per post. The Uchiha looked further down the edge of the forest where he could see about six more red-marked posts, before a large structure – roughly forty yards in length, thirty yards in width, two stories in height – blocked the rest of the way, quite close to the forest's edge, possibly ten yards away, and looking a little out of place in such wide-open fields. However, what was more intriguing was an extension of some sort, protruding from the far side of the building – opposite of where Sakura could see – that led _into_ the forest, but what it connected to was lost among the trees.

"That's our Patrolling Center," Dai informed as he followed Sasuke's stare, "Sometimes we use it as an Observation Deck too."

Dai waved his hand to gesture them to continue following; Naruto and Sasuke wordlessly trailed after him though Sakura stood, examining the building with an arched brow, already knowing that she would be making a visit there soon; _real soon_.

"Sakura-chan!"

The Medic began walking at Naruto's call, though her eyes stayed glued on the structure a few additional seconds before she finally faced forward and increased her pace to catch up to the group.

At first, Team Seven only noticed fields and cultivated terrain; however Sakura perceived that much of the plant life was either untouched or dying. Some land looked like it was being tended to but it wasn't encountered as often as the vast majority of lifeless ground; Sakura could now visually witness just how much Dai's Village's crop losses were.

After nearly five minutes of walking, the buildings that had been distant in vision, when they exited the forest, were now more pronounced. Their Village Walls weren't very high, possibly twenty feet, so the buildings' rooftops could be seen over them. The Gates were old, made of rusty metal, and they groaned as they slowly swung open at Dai's signal to the on-guard entry men. It was quite a large Village, taking into account that it was mostly populated by farmers, but as Team Seven and Dai walked the wide streets Sakura could see that the community was also based on carpentry and blacksmithing; occupations that dealt with creation and invention, the every-day job if shinobi-work wasn't their calling. Sakura concluded it was purely a _civilian_-based town, expected since Bird Country didn't have any Hidden Villages and their ninja usually found the brunt of their work at the Capitol.

The atmosphere was a different experience for Team Seven. Due to the Village's relatively large size and numerous household buildings and businesses she figured the roads would be regularly crowded and busy. And although the streets were full of people going about their daily lives Sakura couldn't help but feel like this wasn't their _norm_, that by these citizens' standards, the Village was quite bare. In retrospect, if the amount of people out in about in _this _Village were out and about in Konoha, it would be considered a ghost town to her; but for a Village of this particular size – estimated eight hundred civilians – about half seemed to have left and the other half had stayed.

"We'll head to the North-West Compound," Dai stated simply as he glanced at his companions, "It's more deserted there, quieter, so it's where The Group and I set up base. I'm pretty sure they should all be there right now, so while you meet them I'll go and find you proper accommodations within the Village," He frowned as he began walking, "Shouldn't be hard since a lot of people have left."

Sakura nodded silently in agreement, falling into step behind Dai and to the left of Sasuke with Naruto occupying the Uchiha's other side. As they walked the three were taking in their surroundings warily, feeling the palpable tension among the villagers and not oblivious to the curious and suspicious stares being directed at them. Dressed as shinobi, Team Seven obviously stood out among the crowds, but Dai walked on with his head held high, nodding his acknowledgements to men and women who called out and greeted him. Unlike the wary stares Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto received, Dai was looked upon with high-regard, maybe even a little respect, but Sakura's keen observations didn't miss the underlying uncertainty also swirling in their guarded expressions. Dai was _young_ – seemingly stubborn and apparently brave – but after a near decade with little results about _The Curse_, that respect was beginning to wane in its weariness.

It gave all the more reason to lend their help as soon as possible. The Village seemed to be taut with tension; any more pressure or disappointment could cause their level of peace and trust and hope to break, and who knew what would happen if panic or anger or desperation took over.

Sasuke's lips had pressed into a thin line, his grip tightening on the plastic bag slung over his shoulder, aware of the apprehensive stares being directed at his baggage. His eyes slid towards Naruto who was walking stiffly beside him; the blonde's concentration was trained straight ahead, occasionally darting to whatever caught his interests – whispering old women, playing children – but he kept silent, furrowed brows the only sign of his discomfort for the continued attention aimed at at them.

Another ten minutes of unspoken walking and passing glances before the crowds began to thin out and the streets became less lively. It was when the group of four strolled under a massive, steel archway that they were greeted by an empty, open space and a couple of large buildings that resembled mansions, though it was hardly marbled and decorative, just outsized. One building looked like a warehouse, very square and plain, but in front of it was a wooden carriage, though no horses were tied to it. On the east end of the open field, past what looked like a shinobi training ground with wooden targets, was a gate that opened into another row of houses, though it seemed deserted of any inhabitants.

"This is _Base_," Dai offered bluntly as he gestured towards the quiet area with a wave of his hand, "Not much to see really, it's basically the place where we do our work and research, hold meetings and train. A few of our members also sleep here if they don't have a home or families to go back to. Toki-sama provides as much as she can…It's not top-of-the-line but we manage…"

"It's so quiet," Naruto stated aloud as he looked around; he was used to walking through busy and crowded villages like Konoha and Suna, even Iwa; quiet towns made him nervous – most likely a side-effect of the little time he spent at the Rain Border Village.

"Everyone's probably inside," Dai informed him as he looked up at the sky, "It's around lunch so I'm sure Reika-chan might be trying to make some food…" He shrugged, "Or baking…"

Once Dai's statement had ended the front door to the main house opened and a single figure emerged. It was a boy, younger than Sakura and her companions – early-teens – and dressed as an aspiring shinobi. He was geared to go, weighed down by various pouches and scrolls but the kunoichi noticed that he didn't have a hitae-ate on his person. Unconsciously she slid her stare back to Dai, raking over his form and not finding a shinobi headband on him either; now that she thought back on it, she had yet to see the proof of his shinobi-status since meeting him.

However, her attention was diverted back to the newcomer. Apparently the boy hadn't missed the four figures standing idly meters from the front door and his chocolate eyes widened in surprise before he hurriedly hopped down the small set of steps. He had short, auburn hair, a slender build, probably reached her shoulder in height, and he was grinning with excitement showing two, perfectly-situated dimples, and two rows of white teeth, though his top, right, front tooth was chipped.

"Daisuke-san!" He greeted happily as he stopped in front of the Chuunin – _supposed_-Chuunin, Sakura thought warily – the boy's energy was practically spilling from his body, "Where have you _been_? We've been worried! The Suzuki twins set up your carriage and some medical supplies and everything to help pick up your patient from Rain," He gestured towards the wooden coach by the warehouse, "But you never came back like you said you would! Reika-chan and Masahiro-san wanted to send out a team to look for you but Takeru-san wouldn't have it; he said that if you," Here he deepened his voice and squared his shoulders, "_'got killed in the field it's his own damn fault, stupid boy'_," His hands began to motion wildly, "But then Raiden-san said we'd wait a few more days and just trust that you had your reasons for not coming back so we did, but the Suzuki twins were getting anxious – well, Akemi-chan was, you _know_ how she is – so we agreed to go after lunch – which was good food by the way, Reika-chan's getting better – but you're _here_ and you're _okay_ and thank Kami-sama, because I really didn't feel like going on a search party in that forest, you know? I need to rest up for _The Plan_ in three days, right? I got to keep my strength!" His brown eyes suddenly darted towards the silent Team Seven members with curiosity, one brow raised in both enthusiasm and wariness, "Who are you?"

Sakura was a little taken aback by the boy's untamed exhilaration, having spoken his entire greeting and explanation in practically one breath, a feat that rivaled _Naruto_. Sasuke remained impassive, although he was staring at the boy as if he _was_ another Naruto – which consisted of a slightly irritated expression; the Uchiha got annoyed, quite easily, of talkative people. Naruto, however, was staring at the newcomer with widened eyes, clearly surprised, unaware that their conversational habits seemed practically parallel of one another.

Dai sighed audibly as he took the boy's shoulders and pushed him forward a little, allowing a fuller view for both sides, "Souta, please welcome Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto of the Hidden Leaf Village. Team Kakashi; this is Yoshida Souta, recent rookie-Chuunin of Bird Country."

Souta's brown eyes widened enormously as Dai recited their names to him, his smile growing even larger with anticipation that reminded Sakura and Sasuke even _more_ of Naruto, "_You're_ Team Seven? _You're_ Team Kakashi?"

Before Sakura could verbally confirm Souta's enthusiastic questions he had already jumped forward and took five seconds each to vigorously shake their hands, grinning broadly, "You don't know how _long_ I've wanted to meet you! When I learned about you when I was an Academy Student I officially dubbed you my _heroes_! I mean, you've done so much and you're only eighteen years old! Y-You're _awesome_!"

"Thank you, Souta-san," Sakura answered unsurely, releasing her hand from his hold, prompting him to step back and gaze at the three standing before him with avid admiration; she offered a small smile, feeling a little boosted and more confident with his declarations, but she was modest, "But we're shinobi just like you–"

"Are you _kidding_?" Souta exclaimed, interrupting her and looking appalled, startling Naruto and Sakura and further irritating Sasuke, "You're not like me at all, not like _anyone_! You three trained under Fire Country's Legendary Sannin and _surpassed_ them! Uzumaki Naruto," He stared directly at the blonde, who stepped back slightly at the intensity of those large, brown eyes, "You are the Legacy of Hidden Leaf's greatest Hokage, you mastered _Sage Mode_, and you defeated the _Akatsuki_! Uchiha Sasuke," He switched his gaze to the ex-Avenger, the dark-haired male staring at the youth with apathy, "You have the Legendary Sharingan, you're one of the strongest and stealthiest Ninja to have ever _lived_, and you have the greatest arsenal of Ninjutsu I've ever _seen_! And Haruno Sakura," His eyes connected with surprised emerald, the kunoichi completely speechless, "You're the strongest kunoichi I've ever heard about – literally _and_ figuratively – you're super smart and you're a renowned Medic of the Five Great Shinobi Countries, and you're really, really, _really_ pretty too!"

Sakura couldn't help but let the blush crawl up her cheeks, Naruto leaning forward to grin at her while Sasuke's eyes danced with vague amusement. As Souta took another deep breath to jump into an additional long ramble, Dai instantly reached out a hand, covered Souta's mouth, and smiled apologetically at his company.

"Sorry about this kid," Dai stated as he threw the boy a hard look, "He doesn't know when to quit talking. So shut it, yeah?" Souta deflated a bit in disappointment but he nodded his head, Dai pulling his hand away when he deemed it safe; his navy eyes then connected with each of the members of Team Seven, "Let's head inside."

Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto nodded and fell back into step with Dai, following the man up the stairs of the mansion Souta had emerged from. The younger boy eagerly strolled alongside Naruto, looking up at the backs of Sakura and Sasuke with obvious awe.

"…So why are you here, Naruto-san?" The boy questioned in a whisper, careful not to get caught by Dai and be reprimanded for bothering the Legendary Team with his inquiries.

Naruto looked down at Souta, grinning when he saw the boy's features light with apprehension for his answer, inwardly taking a liking to the kid's exuberant personality; it was a relaxing and an appreciative change from the night before, "Isn't it obvious, kid?" Naruto's grin widened as he watched Souta's expression twist into confusion; the blonde laughed, "We're here to help."

And Naruto watched gleefully as Souta's facial demonstrations shifted with his thoughts – surprise, disbelief, and finally, untamed anticipation – and his loud shout earned a startled look from Sakura, an aloof glance from Sasuke, an exasperated sigh from Dai, and a wholehearted laugh from Naruto.

"Are you _serious_?"

* * *

**(PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE READ IT ALL, THANK YOU!) A/N:** So **Chapter Eleven** is here. Eh, I'm not as happy with it as I want to be, I don't know, tell me what you think? Also, _a lot_ of **SasuSaku** moments in here, but I'm unsure whether I'm putting too much. I _**Absolutely LOVE**_ the coupling but I don't want to go completely overboard with it. This story is centered more around the **Horror** and **Mystery** and I don't want the **Romance** to completely overshadow that…I'm jumping out of my comfort zone but if I find myself back in that zone then I'm not doing what I want to be doing, which is the **Horror/Mystery**, so please share with me your opinions about how I'm doing, I would really appreciate it.

As for the **Next Few Chapters**, there will be a lot of **Plot Development** and **Information Overload**, I'm going to try and pull it off as smoothly as I can without confusing you readers, so I need your opinion. The next few chapters may be similar to this one. A lot of **Details** and **Visualization**, (e.g. the description of the Bird Border Village) and a lot of **Heavy Dialogue** (e.g. Souta's babbling). So tell me, **was it easy for you to keep up and follow this chapter?** Your opinion helps, I want to spread information so you guys can follow it as best you can while still **enjoying** the read, instead of getting **annoyed** with all the word-jumbles. So, **PLEASE**, let me know?

**AND!** How is this **Length** of the **Chapters?** Do you want **Longer** or **Shorter Chapters?** Please let me know.

**IMPORTANT!**  
**(PLEASE PLEASE ANSWER) Questions:  
- **Who liked the **SasuSaku**? Which was your favorite one?  
- Any ideas about what might happen next?  
- Did anyone follow Souta's first paragraph dialogue?  
- Who likes Yoshida Souta? Can anyone guess his age?  
- **PLEASE** tell me, is Team Seven **In Character**? I want them to be **IC**!  
- **PLEASE** tell me if the **Romance **is overshadowing the **Horror **and **Mystery**.  
- **OH!** And who got scared the _very first few paragraphs_, did anyone know it was a **DREAM**? _Haha. **I hope I got you!**_  
- **ALSO**, does the small **Humor** fit? Or is it out of place? Like, when Naruto made that innuendo about Sasuke and Sakura in the bedroom, or Naruto complaining to Sasuke about the plastic bag, or Souta's behavior? Should I omit **Humor** or is it fine?  
**- AND!** How would you feel - just a random question - if **Sai** or **Yamato** or **Kakashi** showed up? Or **All of them**? You know, since they're **Team Seven** too? Just share your opinion. It may or may not happen.  
- **AGAIN**, How is the **Length** of the **Chapters?** Do you readers want **Longer **or **Shorter Chapters?** Let me know please!  
- **FINALLY**, How am I doing so far?

**PLEASE AND THANK YOU!**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own…Sad panda.

**Next Chapter: **_The Group_ (**Update:** 6-7 days) Probably a weekly basis.

**WARNING!** _**Next chapter:**_ _DO NOT EAT BEFORE READING!_ Haha, especially **Pop-Tarts**! That means you _Sakura's Indecision_! **HORROR AHEAD!**

**Actually**, **Next Chapter** might come out _**SOONER**_, since I had to break this chapter down. Originally the whole group was supposed to be introduced, but I decided instead to ease the readers into it. So, because it's slightly typed up, it might not take as long.

**Review Shout-Outs:**

_Rayluva4_, _RedandBlackTears_, _innocent blusher_, _Ladyrouge214_, _Joy-girl_, _Moonwaterpetal_, _brokenpureshards_, _Asha3_, _AngieVICIOUS_, _Kurtulmak_, _sasusaku70123_, _Arita-chan_, _Livvy22_, _FoXyFaLlEnAnGeL-11_, _shkh4ever_, _LittleGreenWolf_, _sasusaku-EienAi_, and _Lady Rini_.

**You guys are the best, thank you so much for reading and reviewing and I hope to continue to scare and suspense you on the ride that is **_**The Curse**_**! This eleventh chapter is dedicated to YOU!  
Let's try to get to 150 Reviews!**

* * *

**UPDATES TO LOOK OUT FOR:  
**_It All Started With – Chapter 17  
False Façade – Chapter 2  
Forbidden Bonds – Chapter 5  
Missing In Action - Chapter 2_

I'm sorry I haven't been updating the above stories like I've wanted to, it's just my Muse has been focusing so much on _The Curse_ and I can't let that inspiration slip by, so please be patient with the other chapters of my stories, I _will_ get to them, as soon as I possibly can.

* * *

_**And**_! If anyone is confused about the Mapping of this story, I'd recommend checking out the World Map at (www . leafninja . com) Just take out the parentheses and spaces, it's where I get a lot of my _**Naruto Information**_! :)

**Oh!** One last thing! Anyone got a _**Twitter?**_ I made one for the sole purpose of making friends who have the same interests as me (Naruto, Inuyasha, Fullmetal Alchemist, Final Fantasy VII, Anime in general), let me know, I'm open to new friendships and whatever, up to you, just **PM** me or drop a **review! **Happy reading everyone!

**Oh!** And I plan on sending out some **Pokémon (AAML)**, **Fullmetal Alchemist (EdWin)**, and **Final Fantasy VII (CloudTifa)** Fictions too, so if you're FANS, please check them out! :)

**You Are All The Best! And Feel Free To PM Me About Recent Naruto Manga Chapters Too! Heehee!**

_**LotzaLove!  
Len83  
aka  
Luvinukag83**_


	12. Introductions

**The Curse**

_**Chapter Twelve: Introductions**_

Even if Makoto Dai had said that _Base_ wasn't exactly _much_, Sakura had to admit that it was a very well-furnished and spacious headquarters, causing her to wonder exactly how many people were involved in the efforts of researching and fighting back _The Curse_ that currently haunted their borders. While the outside of the mansion looked worn and aged – maybe even a little gloomy in its tall, cherry-brick design – the interior looked homely and inviting. Walking into the foyer, Sakura was greeted with high ceilings and three archways – one directly ahead of her; one a few meters to her left; and one a few meters to her right. Through the archway ahead of her – across from the wooden doors she and her companions entered through – she could see a set of stairs on the left side of the hall that undoubtedly led to the upper levels; to the right of the steps was a narrow hallway with two doors; one door beneath the staircase and the other door standing at the very end of the corridor.

Through the left archway was a wide hallway with a long, narrow table, decorated by a glass vase with blooming lilies, sitting under a large window that overlooked the front yard. A door at the end of the hall was slightly ajar and the edge of a sink could be distinguished in the dim light; Sakura immediately concluded that it was a bathroom. Two more doors lined the right side of the passage, across from the slim table, both closed and preventing the Medic from seeing what lay within.

Dai led the group through the right archway, stepping off the raised wooden floor that was the vestibule and onto the cream carpet of, what looked like, the living room. A window decorated the wall across from the entrance of the room and another window was also on the wall that viewed the front yard; both had brown curtains that were drawn to let the afternoon sunlight in.

Under each window were tan-colored couches; the couch across the archway was a few feet longer than the other. Since the sofas were positioned in a 7 formation a small end table occupied the corner between them and a coffee table stood in the center for easy access. A few wooden chairs were also circling the table where the couches didn't stand and Sakura assumed it was for those unable to settle on the more comfortable seats. The low table was covered with an array of scattered scrolls and various books and the kunoichi could vaguely see a map poking out from underneath the mess.

Looking to her left, leading deeper into the massive room, Sakura could see a large wooden dining table – probably where the wooden chairs came from – situated and centered a few feet away from the area she stood in, also covered with stray papers and opened texts. There were some shelves and filing cabinets lined along the walls, some drawers opened, a few books stacked in the corner of the room, and several documents piled under the bench standing against the wall close to the lengthier couch. Sakura frowned at the disarray but didn't comment. She noted a door on the same wall as the archway – she figured a closet – and a set of double doors at the end of the long room, both closed and preventing further view.

"Make yourselves comfortable," Dai urged as he surveyed the space, his eyes straying to the dining table at the other end of the room while his hands gestured to the couches.

Naruto flopped on the couch while Sasuke settled the plastic bag – containing what was left of Yoshiro – in the corner of the room. Instead of taking a seat, the Uchiha comfortably leaned against the couch's armrest, crossing his arms over his chest as he scanned the room disinterestedly. Sakura set her medical bag against the coffee table and took a seat beside Naruto, Sasuke only a few inches at her left. In a way, it was unconscious of her to pick a spot between her two teammates; it made her feel a little safer – a little more relaxed.

Yoshida Souta grinned jubilantly as he hopped onto the other, unoccupied couch, his brown eyes still bright with excitement as he periodically darted his gaze towards the Konoha Shinobi.

Dai sighed as he glanced over his shoulder in the direction of the foyer before shifting his stare onto the youngest occupant of the room, "Who's here, Souta?"

"Everyone…" Souta started, before he looked up at the ceiling and tapped his chin, "Well, everyone _but_ Raiden-san and Kasumi-chan…They had to go to the Capitol, but they'll be back later tonight. Shin-san hasn't been here all day…He could be wandering – you know how he can be. And Masahiro-san _should_ be back soon with more supplies."

Dai frowned, "Isamu-san?"

Souta twisted his lips thoughtfully, "Where _did_ that Rain Ninja go? _Oh!_ I think Raiden-san had him tag along to the Capitol."

Dai nodded before taking a seat on one of the wooden chairs, "I suppose we'll have to wait until everyone returns; I need to call another Group Meeting."

"About _them_?" Souta inquired excitedly as he pointed at Team Kakashi.

Dai's eyes briefly flickered their way before nodding once more, "Yes."

"Well, want me to get the twins?" Souta suggested as he sat up, "They're in the kitchen and I'm sure Akemi-chan is _dying_ to see you; she's been super worried about you – it's kind of annoying actually. Reika-chan probably has a sandwich waiting for you too and I think Takeru-san is in the Study," He turned to Team Kakashi and smiled, "You hungry? Reika-chan made chicken sandwiches, they're pretty good."

Sakura smiled, holding up a hand, "Maybe later, we already ate. Thank you, though."

"Might as well get them in here," Dai surrendered as he leaned back into his chair; however his expression clearly conveyed that he wasn't looking forward to the encounter.

"Hang tight then," Souta answered eagerly as he shot off the couch and headed through the foyer and into the wide corridor, making a right into the first door of the spacious hallway.

Silence reigned for a few moments between the four ninja. Naruto was clearly tired. Although the blonde had accomplished a few hours of sleep the day before it hadn't been enough to replenish him after the night-long run he endured from Iwa to the Rain Border Village, the daunting events of the previous night, and the four hour travel from Rain to Bird. Sasuke was more awake since he had been able to sleep during the majority of the night and while Dai looked exhausted he also looked accustomed to long, sleepless hours.

"So…" Sakura started, breaking through the silence, "What can you tell us about your comrades? Anything we should know before meeting them?"

Dai stared at Sakura before looking at the door Souta and disappeared through, a slow smile quirking at the corner of his lips, "…Well, you met Souta. I'm sure you can tell that he's full of energy and that he _loves_ to talk," He shrugged, panning his gaze to the floor, "He's optimistic, _really_ optimistic, and child-like, but it's to be expected since he's only twelve years old…He's talented too – despite his young age – smart and strategic…Once he made Chuunin he joined our team. His reasons are personal and he's just as determined as I am to put a stop to this problem…I take it upon myself to look after him; I feel responsible for his safety, especially since I've known him since he was a baby."

"He seems like a nice boy," Sakura admitted with a smile, "Kind of reminds me of Naruto."

Sasuke snorted and Naruto chuckled lightly.

Dai smirked, "Yeah, well, Naruto _is_ his all-time hero. Ever since he heard about what happened between the Five Great Shinobi Countries and Uchiha Madara he's been simply amazed by your abilities – as you could clearly tell by his exuberantly voiced opinions about you all when we were outside," He frowned, staring straight through emerald, onyx, and blue, "Like I said, Souta's optimistic, he likes to see the good in people…Others here might not view you the same way…They might not take too well to former Akatsuki Members, Jinchuuriki," Sasuke and Naruto shifted slightly, "Or even additional help," Dai stared at Sakura intently, "Pride is a very thick barrier around others…Takeru-san _especially_ doesn't take too well to strangers; he's mentioned time and time again that outside help isn't a necessity, but Raiden and I thought it best to ask for more aid…So if you feel any animosity, don't take it personal."

"Who knows about _us_, exactly?" Sakura asked as she gestured towards herself and her teammates.

"Myself and Akiyama Raiden," Dai answered, "It was Raiden who I deliberated with about bringing in more assistance. Originally we had agreed to call for Nara-san but, as I mentioned before, things changed when I found Satsuma Yoshiro wandering around. So when I returned here, to Bird, to have my companions gather up a carriage and medical supplies to safely transport Yoshiro I told Raiden that calling for _you_ – a Medic – would probably be our best bet. So, he won't be surprised to see _you_, Sakura-san, but he will be a little surprised to see _two additional_ shinobi," Dai shrugged as he shared brief looks with Naruto and Sasuke, "He'll welcome the extra help; he's heard a lot about Team Kakashi also and thinks very highly of all three of you."

Sakura nodded, soaking up the new information, "And who is Raiden-san, exactly?"

"He's to me what I am to Souta," Dai answered with a soft grin, "An older brother figure. He's currently a Jounin, and he's very smart, very skilled, and _very _determined…I think the best way for you to find out more about him is when you finally meet him. I'm sure you'll get along. He gets along with everyone."

"Souta mentioned a Rain Ninja," Sasuke spoke up, expression still smooth of emotion but dark eyes calculatingly sharp.

Dai nodded, "Takeshi Isamu. He was added to our team about a month ago by Raiden. He came on his own to do some investigating on the disappearances – especially since it was gaining attention in Rain because of the Border Village – and Souta and Raiden found him wandering the Tri-Point Forest trying to find clues. They decided to bring him back here, to this village, before night fell to keep him safe and he's pretty much stuck around ever since trying to help out. We don't mind, his abilities have proven useful. He's quite the…character."

"Character?" Sakura questioned, clearly wondering why Dai had used that specific term, especially since he had a strange look on his face when he said it – thoughtfully suspicious yet still uncertain.

Dai shrugged, "He's a good guy, I'll admit. He smiles a lot, is openly friendly to anyone and everyone, and he likes to crack jokes at any and every opportunity. He's basically a grown adult – a few years older than us – but a child at heart. Anyone would say he was harmless – don't get me wrong, he's a skilled shinobi also, could probably take on Raiden – who's the best in The Group – in a spar, and he knows when to take things seriously. But something feels a little off with him, suspicious even," Dai shrugged again, "Or it could be paranoia. Ten years trying to solve a frustrating mystery can really build up people's mistrustful walls…"

"It's understandable," Sakura reasoned, smiling gently, "It's never wrong to trust your instincts and to keep an open mind. I guess that's where we come in – we hardly know a thing so we'll be able to provide a fresh perspective for you."

Dai nodded in agreement, "Yeah, you're right."

The next few seconds was a flurry of unexpected motion as the door Souta had disappeared through was flung open and a blur of red, blue and black headed for Dai, rapid footsteps coordinating with the movement before an excited shout filled the room and Team Kakashi openly witnessed a young woman in her mid-teens throw her arms around Dai's neck and squeezed tightly in a display of evident relief.

"Daisuke-kun," She gasped happily, leaning her forehead against his shoulder, her voice half a whisper and half a barely-contained sob, "I'm so glad you're okay! I was so _worried_! What _happened_?"

She was a beautiful girl, with a lean and lithe figure that was very reminiscent of Yamanaka Ino when the platinum-blonde was her age. She had long, flowing, crimson-red hair – a little darker than that of Gaara of the Hidden Sand – that flowed in two, high ponytails reaching the middle of her back, held by dark blue bow-ribbons. Her eyes were a deep olive color with stylized-bangs prettily framing her heart-shaped face. In height, she probably reached Sakura's nose. She was dressed in attire similar to what Sakura wore when she was in her mid-teens: black shinobi footwear, black, tight-fit leggings that reached just below the knee, a red wrap around her waist which knotted on her left side, a large belt resting loosely on her hips that had a pouch on the back, a black tank-top that had fishnet material on the stomach and lower back, and a red cardigan that reached just below the breasts with tasteful three-quarter sleeves. Several scrolls were on her belt and two zai were equipped at the knot of her wrap.

"Akemi-chan," Dai greeted as he awkwardly patted the younger woman on the back, patiently waiting for her to remove her arms from his neck, "I'm alright, there's nothing to worry about."

"How can you _say_ that?" She pouted as she pulled away, fists resting on her hips as she stared down at his sitting form in disapproval, "You were gone for two days!"

"Yeah," A masculine voice drawled from the entrance of the living room; a young man was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, scrutinizing Dai, "We get _everything_ set up for you, Dai – carriage, medical supplies, horses – and we wait and wait and _wait_ for you to send a messenger bird to give us the _'okay'_ to meet you at the Village to pick up your _patient_ and we get _nothing_, not even an update on your status," He glared at Akemi briefly before switching it to Dai, jabbing a thumb in the girl's direction, "Can you _imagine_ how annoying she's been since you went MIA? And it was only for _two days_."

"Hey!" Akemi growled, affronted.

Observing the boy, Sakura could immediately tell that he and Akemi were related – she assumed they were the Suzuki twins Souta had mentioned before. Their features were very similar. _His_ hair really resembled Gaara's, still darker in shade and longer but messily shaggy like the Kazekage. He wore loose, black pants, a burgundy, loose-fit belt, and a shirt that crisscrossed in different burgundy and black straps, occasional zippers seen in the mess; it was also sleeveless, which showed off his toned, muscular arms. On his back were two chained-scythes, a couple scrolls, and a short-sword on his belt. He was probably an inch taller than his sister, and although he was lean he was still fit, his build resembling Sasuke's when the ex-Avenger had been his age. In fact, his mannerisms reminded Sakura a lot of her Uchiha teammate, with his arms crossed, heated glares, and smooth voice, but that's where the similarities ended. It looked like Akemi's brother didn't abhor the act of talking with the way he openly argued with his sibling, and the lines around his face, though miniscule, suggested he wasn't a stranger to laughing, smiling, and showing other emotions – she and Naruto were still trying to make those lines apparent on Sasuke's apathetic-default features.

The young boy's olive eyes then drifted towards Sakura and her team, his brow rising in curiosity before shooting a questioning glance at Dai. Akemi, who had seen her brother's actions, mirrored them.

"Team Kakashi," Dai acknowledged mechanically as he swept his arm to gesture the two teenagers, "These two are the Suzuki Twins: Akemi and Akio," He motioned his arm to Team Seven, "Akemi and Akio, meet Team Kakashi of the Hidden Leaf Village: Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto. They've come to help."

"Really?" Akemi asked, surprised, analyzing the squad skeptically, "Takeru isn't going to be happy about this; do you _know_ how much grief he gives Isamu already?"

"Who cares what Takeru thinks?" Akio scoffed, "The guy needs to loosen up; ten years with _no_ results, we need all the help we can get," He turned to Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto, "Thanks for coming, I've heard a lot about you from Souta."

"We're happy to lend our assistance," Sakura smiled, nodding her head.

"Yup," Naruto agreed with a grin, albeit tiredly, with a two-finger salute.

Sasuke chose not to say anything. Akemi frowned at the Uchiha, clearly wary and intimidated by him; shifted her gaze to Sakura, frown deepening as she glanced between the Medic and Dai; and then turned to Naruto, who was blinking rapidly at his corner of the couch, trying to fight off sleep.

"Where's Reika?" Dai asked, catching the attention of the twins, "I'm surprised she didn't come barreling out like _you_ did."

Akemi smirked, crossing her arms over her chest, "Souta's trying to talk her into coming out. She's upset with you."

Dai's eyes widened in pure bewilderment, clearly surprised with the words that Akemi spoke, the expression a change from what Team Kakashi was used to seeing, "What? Why? What did I do?"

"You _worried_ her," The red-head stated exasperatedly, accompanied with a roll of her eyes, "_Duh_."

Sakura was aware that the name Reika kept popping up in the conversations since entering Base. From the little descriptions she retained from the brief mentions of her she sounded like the caretaker of the group – clearly someone who cooked and baked, worried for their well-being, and was cared for tremendously in return with the way everyone spoke of her. A mother figure perhaps? The kunoichi had doubts that this Reika was a Ninja; everyone spoke as if she were fragile and innocent. A civilian maybe?

Imagine Sakura's surprise when, seconds later, Souta reemerged from the foyer with a shy, little girl trailing after him. If there was one word to describe her, Sakura would have instantly chosen _adorable_. She had long, ebony hair held back by a purple headband that fell in straight tendrils down to her waist, large grey-slate eyes that peered around Souta's leg to glare at Dai – though her brows were pinched, conveying her innocent uncertainty, wanting to display anger with him but also fighting to contain her happiness of seeing him. Her skin was pale, smooth and probably soft, hands tiny and lips forming a small pout. She wore a simple, lilac dress but it was covered by a too-big, blue apron that had splotches of sauce smeared on the front.

Sakura could only stare at her. Beside her, Naruto had also jolted into wakefulness, alert. Understandably, the first thing Team Kakashi had seen behind Souta's leg were pale hands and long, black hair, too similar to the _Little Girl_ they had already encountered, their hearts thudding loudly in a brief moment of apprehension before finally getting the chance to thoroughly study her. _This_ child was harmless, _this _child didn't exude uneasiness, _this_ child didn't have bottomless dark eyes but grey eyes that brightened to the point of silver when Dai smiled at her, _this_ child was one to protect and was currently being protected under the watchful eyes of those surrounding her.

"I heard you're upset with me Reika-chan," Dai greeted softly – solemnly – as he looked at the girl still hiding behind Souta's leg.

"See Reika-chan?" Souta assured with a bright beam, "Daisuke-nii-san's all right. He just brought more friends, so there's nothing to worry about."

Hesitantly, Reika's eyes left Dai's in favor of examining Team Kakashi, analyzing them with a wariness and innocence expected of a six-year old. However, there was intelligence about her despite her young age. Examining her, Sakura could see the child as the type to excel in school and possibly in a Ninja Academy, but with the way she was dressed and handled – _sheltered_ – it appeared the life of shinobi wasn't something desired for her. Wanting to help dispel the child's worries, Sakura smiled warmly, waving her fingers in greeting. In response, a slow smile stretched across Reika's lips, dimples materializing with the shift of her expression.

"Are you still upset with me, Reika-chan?" Dai asked, gaining her attention back, "I apologize for worrying you, but I'm here now, and I'm okay."

"A-Are you sure?" Reika asked softly, her voice soft and sweet, "Not hurt?"

"Not hurt," Dai affirmed as he stretched out his arms and twisted his body to display his unscathed form.

"No blood?" She questioned as she scooted little by little away from Souta's legs.

"No blood," Dai stated.

"And the monsters?" She asked, hands releasing Souta to fidget in front of her, "No touch?"

"Not touched," Dai confirmed seriously, "And the monsters are far in the forest. They won't hurt you or me or anyone else."

Reika's smile widened, this time showing teeth, "…Do you want a sandwich?"

Dai grinned, opening his arms, "Later. Hug first."

Reika giggled before stepping forward and being willingly enveloped in a tight embrace, Dai's strong arms wrapping around her tiny frame before lifting her off the ground and resting her against his hip. Her hands delicately came up to cup his cheeks in her palms before giggling again and pressing a light kiss to his nose. Dai returned it with a grin of his own.

Team Kakashi watched the display silently. This affectionate side of Dai was different to witness but a side they were glad to see. Sakura was pleased to see that, despite the seriousness and calmness and sadness she had seen exhibited from Dai in the past two days, he was still able to exercise other emotions through the people he was close to; and scanning the group in the room, these people were definitely close. With the common enemy that was _The Curse_ they had also managed to become a family through the constant, close interaction with one another.

Reika smiled, turning back to Team Kakashi, "…Do you want a sandwich? I made cookies too."

"Sure thing Reika-chan!" Naruto agreed excitedly, "I love cookies! Do you have milk to go with it too?"

The child giggled against her hand before nodding her head, "Mm-hm."

Sakura blushed lightly as her stomach growled and she shot a glare at Sasuke when he snorted in amusement beside her, clearly close enough to hear it; she smiled at Reika who was set back on her feet, "A sandwich does sound yummy."

"Alright," Reika beamed before turning to Sasuke, "You too?"

Sasuke stared at her for a few moments before nodding his head once, "Hn."

"Okay, I'll be right back," She took a few steps towards the foyer before turning back around and heading straight for Team Kakashi, blushing shyly as she held out her hand to each of them, "I'm Reika…Sasaki Reika. Nice to meet you."

Sakura's eyes widened but she quickly covered her surprise, shaking the child's tiny hand and shooting a glance at Dai as Sasuke and Naruto repeated the introductory gesture, the blonde helpfully establishing their names for the young girl. Dai's eyes connected with Sakura's and he nodded his head slightly to her unspoken question.

Reika was Yuudai's daughter. Reika was Dai's deceased sensei's child.

"Okay, Naru-nii, Saku-nee, Sasu-nii," Reika memorized – Sakura couldn't help but smile at the nicknames, "I'll be back!"

And Reika scurried off back to the kitchen, grabbing Souta's hand as she passed him and excitedly dragging him away with the intent to have him help her. When the door closed behind them Akemi walked towards the unoccupied couch and sat down and Sakura followed Dai's gaze to the swinging door that led to the kitchen.

"…Where's her mother?" Sakura asked.

"Died about three years ago," Dai answered simply, "In the Tri-Point Forest. Reika was three years old. After Yuudai-sensei died we've all watched over her and taken care of her, but Masahiro-san has legal guardianship since he's the oldest of us."

"Everyone loves her," Akemi smiled, "Even hard-ass Takeru; though he'll never admit it aloud."

Both Dai and Akio snorted in agreement.

Dai took a seat on the wooden chair once more, folding his hands on his lap as he stared at the floor, brows creased in thought, before he looked up at stared at the twins, "Since I've been gone a few days there's a few things I need to check up on, as well as set up temporary living arrangements for Team Kakashi. Can you two make sure to let everyone else know that I'm back and that a search and rescue isn't necessary?" The twins nodded and Dai turned to Team Kakashi, "I'll only be gone a couple of hours, in the meantime, you three can stay here, get some rest, eat, and get to know these guys a little more," He turned to Sakura, "I'll gather up some files and reports that you can keep and read over, you're welcome to look at all the stuff over on that table and in the shelves over there," He gestured behind him to the scattered mess, "Is that okay?"

Sakura nodded, moving over when Sasuke used the opportunity to take a more comfortable seat – since they were apparently going to be there for a while – and glanced at Naruto who still seemed a little sleepy, only fighting to stay awake because of the promised cookies and milk, "That's fine."

Dai turned to Akio, "Make sure Takeru-san doesn't harass them if he comes down."

"Make sure I don't harass _who_?" A gruff voice questioned, footsteps sounding near the foyer, apparently coming from the staircase; Dai sighed softly before standing up, turning towards the entrance just as a tall, built figure veered the corner.

"Takeru-san," Dai greeted politely.

The man looked the younger male up and down, hard features displaying no emotion, "…So you're alive."

"It appears so," Dai answered wryly, "Disappointed?"

Takeru snorted, "No, just surprised. With the way you handle situations kid, I often wonder how you get out of _anything_ alive."

"Methods vary and work for different people," The younger male shrugged, "It's no secret that our methods are the epitome of _different_."

"No secret," Takeru agreed by statement, "It's all a matter of which one is more _effective_."

"_Please_, can you two just knock it off?" Akemi sighed, "Yes, you're two different people with two very different ideas, can you just get over it already?"

"No one asked _you_, brat," Takeru responded with a half-hearted glare.

"It's called _opinion_," Akemi countered smoothly, "And _'kami, this is so damn irritating, I don't want to sit through another round of testosterone dominance'_."

Their interaction was amusing and intriguing. Yes, tension was evident and Dai had made it clear beforehand that the power and leadership struggle was a sensitive topic when it came between Dai and Takeru, yet despite the obvious strain in relationship there was still some semblance of care and a little respect towards the other. The bantering seemed to be a part of the relationship. A perfect example would probably be Naruto and Sasuke; while they were always at each other's throats and hurling insults – and punches if given the chance – they were _still_ comrades. The same was present for Takeru and Dai; it wasn't a buddy-buddy friendship but they had some camaraderie.

And Takeru seemed like the kind of guy that was of an acquired taste in friendship – like silent, brooding Sasuke was of an acquired taste in amity – normal people wouldn't like his attitude, would avoid him, dislike him, and get easily annoyed and irritated by him, but Akemi and Dai – and most likely the others of their group – were able to get close enough with him or learn more enough about him that they found a way to attain some kind of friendship or tolerance towards him.

In appearance Takeru was clearly – _at least_ – two decades older than her and her comrades. He was taller than her by a head and a half, with broad shoulders and an overall bulky mass. His black hair was slicked back with precision falling to the middle of his neck, gray strands of stress highlighting his dark tresses. He seemed to have a permanent frown etched on his expression, and his eyes were hard and sharp with an intelligence common in very skilled shinobi geniuses. A very distinctive scar went from the left side of his face diagonally across towards his right jaw. Medical prowess told Sakura that it looked like it happened in the past five years; logic told her that Bird Country had Medics could have removed the physical damage which meant that this man intentionally kept the raised wound.

Maybe it was a reminder for him; a punishment perhaps? Sakura decided not to speculate.

"_Men_," Akemi grumbled, inadvertently catching Sakura's eye and winking at her in silent female connection; Sakura couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.

The sound caused Takeru to look past Dai to the three-man team seated on the couch. Sasuke was leaning forward, elbows resting on his thighs, hands clasped together, and dark eyes watching the interaction. Sakura was leaning against him – since the couch was barely enough to fit three and because Naruto was taking up most of the couch as sprawled as he was, his back resting against the corner of the back of the couch and armrest, one hand rubbing his tired eyes and the other rubbing his growling stomach.

"Who are _you_?" The older male questioned brusquely; and if there was anyone for Sakura to compare this man's rough personality with, it would be Morino Ibiki.

Reluctantly, Sakura stood from her seat and walked towards the pair of males, holding out her hand in greeting, keeping her expression calm and professional, "My name is Haruno Sakura, a pleasure to meet you Takeru-san."

The man stared at her and her outstretched hand, making no move to take it, eyeing her suspiciously, "I can't say the feeling is mutual."

"Takeru…" Dai warned lowly.

"Stop being so _rude_!" Akemi growled, olive eyes fiercely staring at him.

Sakura frowned, allowing her hand to fall back to her side and gesturing to her two teammates with the other, "Well, my comrades, Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto, and I have come from the Hidden Leaf Village to help with the problem currently plaguing the Tri-Point Forest."

Takeru's features hardened, shooting an accusing glare at Dai before looking at Sakura again, "We don't need help. Leave."

"Hey!" Naruto growled, his eyes narrowed as he glowered at the older male, "We're not the bad guys here, so just drop the attitude!"

"Naruto," Sakura sighed, a soft warning of her own, glancing at him from over her shoulder to facially express her desire for him to keep his temper in check. She wasn't condoning Takeru's boorish treatment but having multiple tempers flying wouldn't do _anyone_ any good.

"We've been sent to help," Sakura reasoned, "It's our Mission to solve this problem so whether you like it or not, we're here to stay. Although I believe it would be beneficial to have more heads to think and more hands to help–"

"I know your names," Takeru interjected, sneering, "A lot of people won't shut up about you three since the Ninja World War with Madara…_Uchiha_ Madara," He threw a reproachful stare at Sasuke, "We don't work with _traitors_ and _demons_, we already have fucking _ghosts_ and _spirits_ on our hands, you'll just complicate everything."

"But if we work togeth–"

"Forget it," Takeru interrupted, earning a growl from Naruto and an annoyed furrow of brows from Sakura; he turned to Dai, "_You_. We need to talk. _Now_."

And before Sakura could get another word in, to say something that would make Team Kakashi's presence less threatening or ominous to him, the man had already taken Dai by the shoulder and was leading him towards the kitchen. Silently, Sakura stood alone, staring at the swinging door they disappeared through, sighing in disappointment before turning on her heel and sitting down beside her boys once again.

"Don't take it personal," Akio stated, silent throughout the whole conversation, still leaning against the wall, "Takeru's always been particular about help with this problem. When Isamu – the Rain Ninja – came he was always barking at and belittling the guy or just avoided interaction with him altogether."

"Has it gotten better for Isamu-san?" Sakura ventured to ask.

"No," Akio snorted, "But it's because of the type of guy Isamu is. He jokes about it, insults slide right off him, and he'll even get sarcastic, which irritates Takeru even more."

"I think it's refreshing when Isamu gets on his nerves," Akemi added casually, examining her nails, "Takeru really needs to learn how to trust others. Just don't let it bother you; there are plenty of sane and normal people around here that you can get along with."

"Yeah, I'll have to keep that in mind," Naruto grumbled, still a little miffed with Takeru's discourteous display towards him and his team.

The door to the kitchen opened once more and Souta and Reika stepped through, their hands full with the food the young girl had assured she would bring. Both her hands were securely holding a large plate piled with cookies while Souta carefully juggled a plate covered with sandwiches and three glasses of milk. Despite the concentration he was exhibiting from keeping the white liquid, in his right hand and the crook of his left elbow and pressed to his side, from spilling; both his brows were raised with curiosity while he glanced occasionally at the swinging door of the room he and Reika had just emerged from. Reika's brows were also pinched together in confusion, but a smile split her features when she reached the living room and placed the plate of cookies on the mess scattered across the coffee table, giggling when Naruto brightened as the aroma of warm food and baked goods filled his sensitive nostrils.

"So what's got Takeru's kunai in a twist _this_ time?" Souta inquired offhandedly, placing the plate of chicken sandwiches beside the cookies and handing the glasses of milk to the members of Team Kakashi.

"What do you _think_?" Akio answered sarcastically with a roll of his eyes.

Souta's gaze landed on Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto before he voiced a realizing, "_Oh_…" He frowned thoughtfully, "They're here to _help_, why does he have to get all _pissy_ about it?"

"_Language_, Souta," Akemi reprimanded firmly, shooting a pointed stare at Reika, though the child remained oblivious as she patiently waited for Team Kakashi to try her food.

"I'm just _saying_…" Souta grumbled.

Reika turned to Akemi, her smile fading away as worry became evident on her innocently sweet features, "Why _did_ Takeru-oji-san look so mad, Akemi-nee?"

"He's _always_ mad," Souta mumbled as he took a seat on the chair Dai had been occupying earlier.

"He was just worried about Daisuke-kun," Akemi placated soothingly; although, Akio and Souta grunted disbelievingly at the far-fetched reasoning.

"Oh…" Reika whispered, before turning back towards Team Kakashi and offering a bright smile, gesturing to the plates and milk with her tiny hands, "I hope you like it."

"It looks very good," Sakura commented as she eyed the simple meal, the smell causing her stomach to pain with hunger; she smiled gratefully, "Thank you, Reika-chan."

Reika blushed lightly, clasping her hands behind her back as she scuffed her right foot against the carpet bashfully, "You're welcome."

"Looks _delicious_!" Naruto grinned as he took up a cookie, analyzing it with hunger before taking a generous bite, "_Mmmm_, chocolate chip! My _favorite_! Thanks Reika-chan!"

Reika giggled before switching her gaze to Sasuke, tilting her head to the side curiously as she watched him examine the glass of milk in his hands. She frowned worriedly when he remained silent but Sakura was quick to hand him a chicken sandwich, knowing that the Uchiha was hardly a milk and sweets consumer. Eyeing the triangular snack that the Medic had handed him, Sasuke took a slow bite, chewed, and locked eyes with the young girl; he chewed several more times, swallowed, and finally nodded his head.

"Hn. It's good."

Reika brightened immediately, glowing with accomplishment and happiness as she watched Naruto take another cookie from the plate and Sakura take a bite of her own from the other half of Sasuke's sandwich.

"While Team Kakashi relaxes why not you two go find Shin and Masahiro-san," Akemi suggested, her attention settled on Akio and Souta, "Reika-chan and I will keep them company, and Masahiro-san might need extra help with the supplies."

"Yeah," Reika agreed as she removed a cookie for herself, nodding her head as she nibbled on the snack, "Me and Akemi-nee will keep them company!"

"Trying to kick us out?" Souta teased with a smile, "I'm _hurt_."

"Yeah," Akio joined as he smiled at the child, "You don't want us around anymore?"

"Don't say _that_!" Reika scolded, "I want to spend time with Daisuke-nii-san's new friends. You should find Shin-nii and Masa-jii so they can meet them too!"

"Alright, alright," Souta sighed resignedly just as the kitchen door opened and Takeru stepped out, his brows furrowed as he swiftly ascended the staircase to the second level without sparing any of them a glance.

"Take-oji!" Reika called, "I made sandwiches! And cookies!"

"Later, Reika!" Takeru's gruff voice responded loudly from above before a door slammed shut.

Dai walked out of the kitchen, his brows also pinched in a way similar to Takeru but as he reached the living room his expression morphed into that of a small smile as Reika gestured to the plates on the coffee table. Nodding, the male walked up to the table, grabbed a sandwich and spared brief glances with everyone in the room.

"I'll be back in a few hours," Dai informed again before taking a bite of his snack, "You know where to find me if anything comes up," He looked down at the youngest girl of the room, "Thank you Reika-chan; one of your best creations yet."

She giggled happily behind her cookie.

Souta nodded his head in acknowledgement of Dai's plans while Akio pushed off the wall, both boys following after the brunette-shinobi as they made their way to the front entrance. Souta exuberantly shared with Dai his and Akio's plans to locate and assist Shin and Masahiro while Akemi had stood up and walked towards the large table near the end of the room, sifting through papers thoughtfully. Reika took a seat on the couch the red-head had left, grey eyes happily observing as their new guests graciously ate her self-made meal.

"See you later!" Souta yelled boisterously from the foyer and the front door closed behind him.

* * *

Sakura gazed at the large, wooden table with a single, arched brow. Although Dai had allowed her access to The Group's files, sorting through all the chaos and disorganization scattered across the wide tabletop was a little discouraging and a bit exasperating for the Medic to even begin _thinking_ about where to _start_. After a sweeping glace across the mounting piles of documents and scrolls Sakura easily made out a colorful array of folders with individual files of various people, maps that were marked and remarked, medical folders, cross-examination reports, books about chakra and techniques, and scrolls unfurled with messily scrawled descriptions and recountings of previous ventures into the Tri-Point Forest. Sakura wasn't even sure if she wanted to _touch_ the collection of records, absently fearing that things may have been organized in a way that The Group was closely familiar with, even in its disordered state of storing. As an outsider, she was unsure about how to go about her research – and maybe even a little reluctant since it was so damn _irritating_ to see things so strewn – and as Haruno Sakura, prompt and organized Medic that she was, the kunoichi had half a mind to actually arrange everything properly, if for her own sanity since she was going to be spending time working on this new – and frustrating – assignment. Confused as she already was about _The Curse_, she didn't need incompetence in neatness to make it even harder on her.

"Blue Folders are Medical Records," Akemi supplied as she walked up to the table, picked up a blue folder, and absently flipped through it, nodding her head; she locked eyes with Sakura and held the files up with a smirk, "Red Folders are Evidence Records, Yellow Folders are Mapping, Green Folders are Observation Deck Analyses, Purple Folders are Mission Reports, Black Folders are Files on Missing and Killed Persons, Manila Folders are Queries and Hypotheses, Grey Folders are Reports from Rain, Brown Folders are Reports from Earth, Navy Folders are reports from Bird's Capitol, and Plum Folders are our Future Plans," Akemi smirked when Sakura stared at her with surprise, blinking, "Really Haruno-san, it's usually not this messy, I keep it as clean and organized as I can but when you're in a group predominantly filled with men, well, you _know_ they're not going to care about tidiness."

Sakura blinked once more before a soft laugh escaped her lips, amusement dancing across her face as she glanced down at the chaos before her, looking back at Akemi and sharing her grin.

"It's only a mess again because of Souta…" She blushed lightly, busying herself by separating the folders into stacks of their respective colors, "…And _me_…Well, because Daisuke-kun never came back two days ago, so we got worried and went into a frenzy searching for some clues that he may have left behind to help us look for him," Her smile was amused as she looked back at the Medic, "All the colors and its meanings are on the chart on the wall, because when we're dealing with _men_ and colors, they're going to _need_ a reference."

Again, Sakura laughed, silently recalling a time when she had to do the same for Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sai concerning her belongings when she had temporarily lived with them during her transition phase of moving from her lonely apartment into a house that was still being built, rooming with Tenten, Yamanaka Ino, and Hyuuga Hinata. The Blue box had been her clothes; the Red box had her toiletries, the Green box held her sentimental materials, the Yellow box was filled with her books and scrolls, and the Black box carried her weapons. Even with the helpful color code, Naruto still managed to get confused, getting an eyeful of her unmentionables when he went searching for a pouch of kunai and shuriken to borrow.

"The tan filing cabinets have additional files on persons who went missing or were killed," Akemi continued, earning Sakura's attention, the Medic retaining the information easily as she eyed the metal storage container, "The black filing cabinets have files on members of The Group, either dead or alive," The younger woman paused briefly, frowning, before shaking her head and pointing to the books stacked around the room, "Books are pretty self-explanatory, read the title and you get the point; if you want the condensed version of the text I'm sure Shin and Raiden put their thoughts and what-not in the Manila Folders…Mind you, nothing is alphabetized right now since everything's such a mess but all this stuff really isn't as numerous as it looks; we don't have a lot of information, just a lot of theories and dead-ends."

"Anything is better than nothing," Sakura sighed as she picked up the Red Folder and began to flip through it, encountering reports and descriptions similar to the evidence she carried in the scroll on her hip.

"…No offense to you or anything, Haruno-san," Akemi started hesitantly, causing Sakura to look up and give the younger female her full attention, "…But why _you_? Yeah, you're a renowned kunoichi and all but what do _you_ have that made Daisuke-kun choose _you_ out of all the other shinobi in the world?"

Sakura closed the folder and set it on the table, emerald irises taking in the slightly-neater desktop before her as a bemused smile pulled at the corner of her lips, "I honestly don't know Akemi-chan. I'm a Medical Ninja first and foremost…I'm no Tactician even if I have been occasionally assigned to Tactical Support but it's not my specialty. Dai-san…was only clear about my assistance in healing and examining Yoshiro-san, but since Yoshiro-san is dead and I'm already here, well," She looked up and the corners of her lips lifted higher, "I can't turn my back on an ally, can I?"

"…You _could_," Akemi murmured slightly as she rolled up some scrolls, "I knew about Raiden's and Daisuke-kun's plans to get additional help – I kind of eavesdropped. I'm not against it but I can't help but wonder…" She stared at Sakura piercingly, utter bafflement on her features, "…That even after all you've heard and experienced – and I _know_ you've encountered _them_, I could see it in your eyes – _why_ would you _accept_ this mission…Even with its failure rate, even with all the deaths and disappearances, how could you agree to step into this…_hell_?"

Sakura watched Akemi, and the Medic realized she felt strange being on the end of a conversation where she was supposed to do the reassuring. That job was for her sensei, shishou, and elders; people like Hatake Kakashi, Tsunade, Yamato – heck, even _Naruto_. Sure, she gave a lending hand and sound advice to the younger generation like Moegi, Udon, and Konohamaru, but she _knew_ them and grew up with them around; yet with Akemi, Sakura didn't know what this young woman had faced, didn't know what she could say to make things better because she _too_ was scared – _terrified_ actually – for the future, also asking herself at times why she agreed to help. All Sakura could do was tell this kunoichi the truth, not knowing if it was the right thing to say especially after watching friends and comrades die one after the other. Akemi looked tired, drained, and maybe even a little desperate to find a flicker of hope and light in the darkness that dominated her young life.

Staring at this young woman, standing uncertainly before her in a stance that Sakura used to stand in just three years ago, the older woman sighed and leaned her hip against the table.

"I'd rather use my time trying to find a solution than to turn my back on people who are asking for my help," She finally answered.

Akemi frowned, "So you pity us?"

"No," Sakura answered calmly, "Why accept a mission out of _pity _when I have a significant chance of dying?" Sakura shook her head, "No, it's called _priority_. As a Medic I fight to save the lives of others, no matter whom they are and where they come from because lives are worth _so much_ and they _should not_ be ended by stupid and perverse reasons. This _Curse_ has to be stopped because innocent people are dying and those still alive are continuing to suffer; as a kunoichi and as _me – _Haruno Sakura – I can't allow it to continue. Dai-san may have chosen me out of many and if so then something about me must have caught his interest; so, because of that, I'll try my hardest to help," Sakura smiled gently, locking emerald with olive, Akemi still staring at her warily, "So no, Akemi-chan, I _don't_ pity you…In fact I admire how much you've pulled through, fighting against these creatures as you have since before I was even aware this problem _existed_; because of that, because I _now_ know, I think you deserve a little help, and the Hidden Leaf is ready and willing to lend it."

"…A part of me really thinks you're crazy," Akemi stated as she regarded Sakura intensely, "Isamu too. I don't understand how people would willingly walk into those woods with the intent to solve this problem even when there's an unlikely chance of you getting out alive. I mean, _I _have _my_ reasons – the entire group has their reasons – but I don't understand how complete strangers would come out of nowhere knowing what they know even when Bird Country's own citizen-shinobi are reluctant to offer help…"

"Call it naivety," Sakura shrugged, "Call it curiosity or stupidity or bravery or egotism, I may not know Isamu-san's motives but as for myself and my team, we're here to help, simple as that."

"…Your team doesn't really seem like they _want_ to help…" Akemi muttered as she glanced at the two men still seated on the couch.

Sakura followed her gaze, watching with a slight curve of her lips as she observed Naruto fast asleep in his corner of the sofa, snoring and mumbling in his blissful unconsciousness, the plates on the table only scattered with crumbs. Beside Naruto was Reika, the little girl giggling as she spoke animatedly to Sasuke, her eyes bright and smile wide as she shared with the Uchiha something about her day. Sasuke was sitting stoically on his end of the couch, dark eyes watching the child speak, features smoothed of emotion yet Sakura could tell that he was listening to Reika's fast-paced, excited words, the child bouncing in her seat, tiny hands occasionally touching his knee when she performed the wild gesticulations that accompanied her story. Sakura's smile grew fractionally seeing the scene before her, watching as anti-social Uchiha Sasuke kept his attention on the young girl, silent but aware. If it had been either Sakura or Naruto in Reika's place he wouldn't have even spared them a glance, opting instead to look at something in the distance as he listened to their rambles – and that was him being _kind_. Rude Uchiha Sasuke would blatantly tell the intruder of his personal space to _'fuck off'_ or just get up and leave without a word. But little Sasaki Reika had Uchiha Sasuke's complete attention, even if he was facially apathetic and verbally quiet.

Sakura smiled as a humoring twinge of jealousy prodded her mind, the smile remaining when Sasuke's onyx eyes briefly slid towards her, one brow rising in silent question to her staring in which Sakura answered with a short shake of the head, dismissing it for later answering as she turned back to Akemi.

"They want to help," Sakura assured strongly, "They might not outwardly show it, but they do. Naruto is just a little too tired to look over files right now – not that it's really his area of expertise – and Sasuke…" She chanced a glance back at the ex-Avenger, just in time to see Reika tracing his outstretched palm, mumbling about his future, and the Medic smiled a little more broadly, "…Sasuke-kun's a little harder to read _and_ – I'll admit for him – that he's annoyed with the circumstances of our involvement with this Mission. But, Sasuke-kun has a good heart; it may not be as apparent as my and Naruto's desire to help you, but he knows how much it hurts to lose the people you care about…I don't think he would want anyone to experience that same pain…"

Sakura then held up a Plum Folder, waving it in the air for Akemi to see clearly and grinned, "Besides, I think _ten_ _years_ is long enough. Don't you?"

"…You sound so confident," Akemi whispered as she stared at the Folder before looking up at Sakura's grinning features.

The Medic laughed as she quickly cast a glance at the slumbering blonde, "It's a little something I picked up from a friend of mine," She smiled a little wider, "_'Believing in yourself and in your comrades is the first step to success'. _Remember that Akemi-chan, I find it's very helpful advice when in tough situations."

For several silent seconds, Akemi stared at Sakura with incredulity – yet not towards Sakura but the fact that she was starting to really _believe_ the Leaf Kunoichi, a small smile forming on her glossy lips before she looked away and began to resume her tidying; after several more seconds of rustling papers Akemi whispered, "…Thank you Haruno-san…Thank you for your help."

The Medic beamed brightly, "Call me Sakura. We're probably going to spend an ample amount of time with each other and I think working together as friends will make this process a lot smoother and a lot less intimidating."

Akemi chuckled, "Right."

* * *

Sasuke felt tiny, smooth fingers trace along his palm, dark eyes apathetically staring down at the ebony locks of Sasaki Reika, the young girl's head bent over his outstretched hand, examining the lines and creases across his skin before prodding with a giggle at his fingertips. Briefly he cast a glance at Naruto who had snorted loudly in his sleep, eyes narrowing a fraction since the blonde had chosen of _all_ times to succumb to unconsciousness leaving the Uchiha to entertain and amuse the child beside him. _Naruto_ was the one who got along with kids – Naruto _and Sakura_, but the Medic was busy obtaining even more reports and research pertaining towards the problem that was _The Curse_. Sasuke wanted to scoff but refrained, he wanted to smack Naruto awake but none of the women across the room would appreciate him being violent in front of Reika. It's not like Sasuke cared, he did whatever he pleased, but he wasn't about to get two temperamental woman mad at him for Naruto to wake up to and tease him about for as long as the blonde's short-term memory allowed.

Inwardly sighing, Sasuke shifted his glance towards Sakura, absently wondering why she had been staring at him earlier with that _smile_ on her face, only to shake her head at him before resuming her conversation with the red-headed kunoichi. As curious as he had been, Sasuke thought it better that he remained oblivious; the less he knew, the better.

"You're going to live a long and happy life!" Reika stated happily as she looked up at him, grey-silver eyes shining before she poked the middle of his palm, "_But_, only if you make the _right_ choices, Sasu-nii. So make the right choices, _okay_?"

Sasuke stared at the little girl grinning up at him and she stared back without a flinch, patiently waiting for his affirmation; Sasuke closed his eyes and let out an inaudible breath before replying, "Hn."

"It says you have to open up more too," Reika continued in her palm-analysis, "Don't be a _meanie_. Let friends be friends…_and_…" She tilted her head in confusion, peering intensely at his palm before looking up at him with a slight pinch of her brows, "…It says you need _love_, Sasu-nii…" The Uchiha stiffened, staring down at Reika before switching to his palm, repeating the process a few extra times, "…To show love and share love…" Reika went on and slanted her head again, now studying Sasuke's face, "Do you love someone, Sasu-nii?"

Sasuke resisted the urge to flick his gaze across the room when the question registered in his mind; he frowned, "No."

Reika matched his frown, crossing her arms petulantly, "Why _not_? Everyone loves _someone_!"

"It doesn't matter who I do and do not love, Reika," Sasuke answered boredly.

"Of course it does," Reika argued, pouting, "Because when you love someone and someone loves you, you make each other _stronger_…You keep each other _safe_," Her arms went lax, she looked down at Sasuke's still-outstretched hand, "I love my whole family, they took care of me when Mama and Papa died…And I love _them_. They protect me and I make them cookies because that's what families do…" Her eyes returned to his; sad and a bit challenging, "You don't have that, Sasu-nii?"

The Uchiha stared at her, her grey eyes darkened with daring, her lower lip jutted out in a childish glare that slightly amused him. Briefly his gaze landed on Naruto – still content in unawareness – before flickering towards Sakura – who was tying her hair up and simultaneously reading through a portfolio lying on the table – and finally, returned his consideration towards Reika.

"…Maybe," He answered softly.

"Maybe?" Reika repeated confused, "Why _maybe_?"

Sasuke sighed, "…_Showing_ love isn't as easy as it sounds."

This time, Reika glared at Sasuke fully, "Everything you _do_ shows _love_, Sasu-nii! Smile, say _thank you_, make cookies, and they'll know – they'll _know_ – that you love them!"

Sasuke shook his head. So innocent, so childish, so naïve, so _young_. Actions didn't say everything, people wanted words too, and Sasuke was not a speaker. Performing actions was easy, but for someone like him, interpreting those actions was a challenge in and of itself for those receiving his attention.

"If they love you back," Reika continued as she tiredly sagged against Sasuke's side, resting her head against his chest, "Then they'll understand…"

Sasuke stared at the mop of dark hair leaning against his torso, her tiny hand clenching into his shirt and he inwardly sighed, "…Hn."

"You won't let the monsters come, will you Sasu-nii?" Reika asked through a small yawn, "They're scary…I don't like them…"

The slight tremor in her voice caused Sasuke to hesitantly pat her back in reassurance, "Hn…I'll protect you. Sleep if you're tired."

She answered with a half-yawn, half-giggle, "Thank you Sasu-nii…See? It's not so hard, is it?"

The ex-Avenger stared down at her, wondering if this child was smarter than she let on. For a girl her age she was quite insightful, or maybe he was delving into things too deeply.

Either way…

"I never asked what your favorite color is Sasu-nii," Reika mumbled, a little incoherent, "Mine is pink, like Saku-nee's hair…It's so pretty…"

Her breathing evened out and Sasuke looked down at the napping girl cradled in his right arm before shifting his gaze towards Sakura. She was leaning over the table, emerald eyes swiftly scanning through several documents, her brows scrunched together in concentration, her lips puckering to blow stray bangs from her vision.

Settling a little more comfortably on the couch, eyes never straying from his female comrade, Sasuke allowed a smirk to grace his lips, "Hn…Pink's not bad."

* * *

**A/N:** Eek, I'm not too happy with this, so much dialogue; what do _you_ think? I am SUPER SUPER SORRY for the wait - so a LONG chapter for you, I hope you like! It's so hard introducing **Original Characters** and I'm trying to do it in a way where it's not all at once where you'll get confused and it's still interesting, at least enough that you'll be able to retain their names and personalities. How am I doing so far? So yeah, that isn't _all_ the characters, I'd say about half, but all their names have been introduced already in the story, it's just all a matter of meeting them. Again, however, I would like to apologize for the long wait, life really caught up to me if you haven't seen the **A/N** in my _One-Shot_ **ReAnimated Closure**, I pretty much let my readers know that updates won't be coming as frequently as summer has come to an end and I have resumed College Study. This semester I have **17 Units and 2 Jobs**, yeah, so that's not even the icing on top of the cake, but I won't bore you with my own life, haha. As for the story, **please please please please please** _tell me what you think so far_! Whether it be feedback of thumbs up or constructive criticism in any mistakes I have made. Again, **OCs** aren't usually my favorite part of a story, I usually stick to the **Main Cast** but this story needs **OCs **to make it interesting!

**So...**Out of all the characters Team Seven has met so far, which ones are your favorites, tell me what you think about them, what can you scrutinize about them from what you have read so far? Knowing your opinions helps me know where to take the story and gives me a perspective not my own. I like hearing from you guys because unlike me you don't know what's going to happen and I so **_wish_** I was taking the journey with you but if I was the story wouldn't be written would it? So, please, share your thoughts however brief or long it may be?

**And!** I want to get through these **Character Introductions and Plot Development** as soon as possible so we can return to the **Horror** and **Angst**, because I have fun writing those scenes, it's the entire reason I started wrtiing this story, so **hopefully** next chapter will wrap up some character introduction **(which by the way, once the characters have been introduced I will write a short bio of each - that won't give anything away - at the end of the chapter, just in case readers get confused...hopefully I'm already writing it in a way that doesn't confuse you...let me know, yeah?)** So, yeah, hopefully **Horror** will be making an appearance next chapter, as well as additional **SASUSAKU FLUFF!**

**Btw,** speaking of **SASUSAKU FLUFF**, I'm sure you readers noticed even more hints of it in this chapter...I hope you did...

_**...Who likes Reika? And her interaction with Sasuke? Who likes Akemi? And her interaction with Sakura?**_

**So!** Please let me know what you think of _The Curse _so far, tell me which **Original Characters **you like and why (if you want), and **please** be patient with me on the next update, I'll shoot for within the next **two weeks** but I won't make promises...However, thank you to those who are being patient with me, who have **alerted/favorited/reviewed/read** _The Curse_ and me as an **Author**, you are all **AWESOME!**

**Disclaimer:** Nopety-Nope-Nope

**Next Chapter:** _Patrol Duty_

**Review Shout-Outs:** _inkblots101_, _sasusaku-EienAi_, _shkh4ever_, _Moonwaterpetal_, _Gabzilla_, _.614_, _JWJ_, _sasusaku70123_, _LittleGreenWolf_, _Sibrael_, _callix_, _Lady Rini_, _RedandBlackTears_, _innocent blusher_, _Cecilia Lucia_, _rayluva4_, _Sakura's Indecision_, _AngieVICIOUS_, _artemisoftheazuremoon_, _CalwynN._, _jacaranda blooms_, _lauchoco92_, _bloodblossom98_, _Applzrgud4u_, _CrAzY-SiLLy-Me_, _brokenpureshards_, _arch-nsha_, _cha cha dancer_, _Tenshi no Sakura_, and _bloodblossom_.

**You guys are the best, thank you so much for reading and reviewing (WOW, 31 REVEIWS!) and I hope to continue to scare and suspense you on the ride that is **_**The Curse**_**! This twelfth chapter is dedicated to YOU!  
Let's try to get to 200 Reviews!**

* * *

**UPDATES TO LOOK OUT FOR:  
**_It All Started With – Chapter 17  
False Façade – Chapter 2  
Forbidden Bonds – Chapter 5  
Missing In Action – Chapter 2  
Vengeance – Chapter 2__  
The Road of Touch; The Road to Feel – Chapter 2_

I'm sorry I haven't been updating the above stories like I've wanted to, it's just my Muse has been focusing so much on _The Curse_ and I can't let that inspiration slip by, so please be patient with the other chapters of my stories, I _will_ get to them, as soon as I possibly can.

* * *

_**And**_! If anyone is confused about the Mapping of this story, I'd recommend checking out the World Map at (www . leafninja . com) Just take out the parentheses and spaces, it's where I get a lot of my _**Naruto Information**_! :)

**Oh!** One last thing! Anyone got a _**Twitter?**_ I made one for the sole purpose of making friends who have the same interests as me (Naruto, Inuyasha, Fullmetal Alchemist, Final Fantasy VII, Anime in general), let me know, I'm open to new friendships and whatever, up to you, just **PM** me or drop a **review! **Happy reading everyone!

**Oh!** And I plan on sending out some **Pokémon (AAML)**, **Fullmetal Alchemist (EdWin)**, and **Final Fantasy VII (CloudTifa)** Fictions too, so if you're FANS, please check them out! :)

**You Are All The Best! And Feel Free To PM Me About Recent Naruto Manga Chapters Too! Heehee!**

_**LotzaLove!  
Len83  
aka  
Luvinukag83**_


	13. Trust And Promises

**The Curse  
**

_**Chapter Thirteen: Trust And Promises**_

Sasuke looked around the living room with boredom, dark eyes tracing over the stacks of files littered in every corner, crevice, and shelf of the room, absently noting that the coffee table just feet away from him was also piled with information as well as covered by the porcelain plates and clear glasses Souta and Reika had retrieved from the kitchen, previously filled with sandwiches, cookies, and milk. A loud snore erupted from the form on the other side of the couch, opposite of where Sasuke sat, the Uchiha's eyes rolling in exasperation as his peripherals caught Naruto's legs stretching out in his unconsciousness.

The tiny form against his chest shifted slightly in its own peaceful rest and his gaze flickered downward to stare upon the sleek, ebony-tinted hair of Sasaki Reika. Naruto's incoherent mumbling fell on deaf ears as the tiny girl slept on into oblivion, one hand clutching the front of his shirt while the other curled around his left thumb. Her long lashes touched her pale cheeks, tiny lips quirked up into a semblance of a smile before she gave a soft hum herself and buried her head deeper into his torso.

Sasuke remained quiet, no sigh escaping his lips and no expression filtering onto his face. Briefly his stare would drift towards the hand that clutched his thumb, silently wondering how such an innocent, _tiny_ thing could feel safe in his dark presence. Sasuke hardly gave off an aura of welcome and security – _light_ – that Naruto and Sakura easily could. All he spoke were words of protection – children were so…_trusting_.

Sasuke didn't gain trust so easily. It had been difficult getting back into the good graces of Konoha after his defection; many of his fellow Leaf Shinobi had been wary of his presence even after he rejoined their ranks.

Even the Bird Country teenager – Akemi, was it? – was jittery around him whenever she ventured to the coffee table to retrieve more documents. Takeru downright hated him because of his name and affiliation to Uchiha Madara. Dai and Akio were strong presences compared to the others; ones he would have to keep an eye on. Souta was admiring of him, but Sasuke was aware that ninja could easily build up facades, it was part of their nature; it helped bring their enemies into a false sense of security. Although he knew Souta was hardly a threat to him, the idolization he had for him and his teammates could be an exaggeration; he was a twelve-year old _Chuunin_, and Sasuke wasn't going to peg the kid as a gullible child on first impression – he had to be smart to get to that level at that age, just like Nara Shikamaru had been.

He ran his right hand through his dark locks. Just because Sakura was the one called to help solve _The Curse_ didn't mean he and Naruto were going to be doing _nothing_. Sasuke had to keep diligent too, make sure there were things he could catch and process if Sakura missed it. Besides – along the same lines of thinking when it came to _trust_ – Sakura could be very trusting and Sasuke had to make sure she didn't fall too deep into camaraderie to risk eliminating possible suspects. Although he knew his female teammate was smart enough to be the logical and critical thinking one of the team, she and Naruto also had the bad habit of becoming too attached.

They surely needed to be professional and maybe even a little indifferent when it came to this Mission. They were in unknown territory surrounded by strangers whose numbers could easily overpower them if given the chance.

It was pessimistic to think about, but _someone_ had to do the analyzing at the angle that most people didn't want to.

Movement drew Sasuke from his thoughts and his unfocused gaze cleared to find Sakura kneeling beside the coffee table, hands braced on the edge, ready to sort through some files, yet stilled in distraction. While her body was positioned towards the table her eyes were directed at him, a small smile quirking her lips as her irises switched between him and the little girl nestled in his one-armed hold.

"…You seem to handle children very well, Sasuke-kun," Sakura whispered as she fixed her sights entirely on him, smile still on her lips, "It's a pleasant surprise."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted softly, diverting his gaze to the floor, his next statement coming out in a mumble, "It's not like I asked to watch over her."

The Medic released a breathy laugh, amusement dancing across her features, "Well, I think you're doing splendidly. It's a nice side of you to see, actually. I'd like to see it more often."

Sasuke's eyes connected with hers again, a single brow rising in silent inquiry.

Sakura turned away, smile still on her face as she rifled through the various papers, "I think you thrive on it just as much as Naruto does," Sasuke's brows furrowed in confusion, watching Sakura's face light up when she found what she was looking for. She pulled out the parchment and stood before meeting the Uchiha's puzzled expression, "You're a strong presence, Sasuke-kun…It's what makes Reika-chan comfortable with you and trusting enough to believe that she'll be safe as she sleeps…"

Sakura smiled as she rolled up the documents and gazed down at the child tucked beside him before her gaze shifted to meet the dark-depths of onyx, his stare so steady and firm and so _him_ that she couldn't help but smile even wider as she took a single step back, intent on returning to the other side of the room with Akemi.

"…It's the same way _I_ feel when _I'm_ with you, Sasuke-kun," She finally whispered, that same gentle grin on her lips, "Believe it or not, your presence is quite soothing…I feel comfortable and safe – _completely protected_ – when I'm with you…I always have…And…I always will…"

And with a final smile, her opinion shared without the least bit of embarrassment – because what she said was _true_ and she _wasn't_ ashamed of telling him – Sakura turned away and left Sasuke watching after her, his eyes fractionally widened in both stupor and disbelief before looking down at the tiny hand that encompassed his left thumb; the reason for the short and unexpected, yet satisfyingly uplifting, conversation.

Beside him, a few feet away, Naruto hummed before moving onto his side and, slowly, a smirk spread across Sasuke's lips.

Trust. Although the Uchiha couldn't understand how anyone could easily trust _him_ – traitorous Uchiha Sasuke, of all people – he couldn't help but be grateful for the select trusts that certain people commended him; he couldn't help but be honored and relieved to have the trust both Sakura and Naruto willingly and effortlessly exhibited towards him.

And he couldn't help but be comfortable and safe putting his trust completely into Sakura and Naruto as well.

"Hn…" Sasuke grunted thoughtfully, before gently curling his hand around Reika's.

* * *

Sakura offered a sympathetic smile as she watched Naruto and Sasuke each haul up one-foot stacks of folders and files, one male exuberant and grinning after waking from rest and the other typically apathetic as he gazed at the colorful array sitting in his arms. Early evening had arrived and, with it, the return of Dai. The Bird Chuunin had entered _Base _stone-faced and serious, his lips thinned into a grim line and his navy eyes clouded with thoughts that he tried to hide away when his company noticed his entrance. Then, candidly, he informed Team Kakashi that their temporary residence was ready and that he would take them there so they could completely settle in.

Akemi had helpfully sorted through files and information for Sakura to take with her to look over; and Reika – who had woken to Sasuke trying to remove himself as her pillow – quietly stood beside Akemi, watching Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto, and Dai preparing, in the foyer, to leave.

"…Will I see you again?" Reika asked softly as Dai opened the front door, the sun's setting rays spilling onto the hardwood floor.

Naruto grinned down at her and Sasuke spared her a glance, noticing that the child's eyes strayed to him for an answer. Fortunately, Sakura smiled kindly, moved forward to crouch down to Reika's eye-level, and took one of her tiny hands into hers.

"We're going to be a little busy helping Dai-san but we'll try to visit you if there's time," The Medic reassuringly traced the back of Reika's hand with her thumb, "And if we end up coming back here – to _Base_ – for meetings, we'll make sure to take some time to see you."

Reika bit her lower lip, flicking her grey irises on all the members of Team Kakashi before connecting with kind emerald, "…If you're helping Nii-san, that means you're going _out there_, huh? You're going to try and find the monsters…"

Sakura's smile became strained when she noticed Reika's downcast expression; her grip tightened fractionally, "We're going to try our best to stop them, Reika-chan."

"They're scary," She whispered softly, "They took away Mama and Papa…I get scared when Dai-nii and everyone else go out there…I don't want you and Sasu-nii and Naru-nii to disappear too…"

"Nothing's going to happen to us, Reika-chan," Naruto spoke up with a bright grin, "Believe it!"

"…Do you promise?" Reika urged seriously.

"Promise!" Naruto announced confidently.

Sasuke and Sakura briefly shared a glance, their optimism not as high as Naruto's, the weight of the situation preventing them from vocally affirming the guarantee; but they offered the child a small nod, even if the non-verbal gesture wasn't something she wanted. It meant that they would _try_ to carry out the promise but if something were to happen – well…they didn't want to be seen as liars in her eyes either.

"Alright," Dai interjected, Sakura offering Reika a small hug before returning to her teammates' sides – making sure to take with her the black, plastic bag – containing Yoshiro – and her medical pack, "It's not too far from here," He connected gazes with Akemi, "Who's on Patrol tonight?"

Akemi twisted her lips thoughtfully, "I think Shin, Souta, and Akio have tonight's shift. And if Raiden, Isamu, and Kasumi-chan get back from the Capitol today they might drop by too."

Dai nodded before turning away and leading Team Kakashi out the door, Sakura sharing a final glance, smile, and wave with Reika and Akemi before shutting the door behind her.

"Bye…"

* * *

Dai led the Konoha Shinobi through the streets of the Bird Border Village, a few steps ahead, preoccupied with a folder in his hands yet occasionally making sure that Team Kakashi was doing fine following him.

Sakura flicked her gaze between Sasuke and Naruto and the stacks of information piled in their arms, a small smile curling at the corner of her lips. Sakura could have easily carried a stack herself – consequently making her teammates' stacks less heavy – but her two boys wouldn't have it. In fact, Naruto had taken a stack loudly proclaiming that his rest allowed him strength while Sasuke had silently taken the other and walked away before a protest could fall from her lips, leaving her with the light – though grim – load that was Satsuma Yoshiro. Normally, Sakura would have felt offended by the coddling, _knowing_ she could handle carrying a measly stack of papers – _especially_ with her renowned strength – but she knew that Naruto and Sasuke _knew_ that she didn't need to be taken care of.

They did the things they did because they wanted to. For her.

"How about some Miso Ramen and Tomato Onigiri for dinner tonight?" Sakura suggested with a smile, nudging her left shoulder with Naruto's right and then her right shoulder with Sasuke's left, "I can run off to the Market real quick after we're settled."

Naruto grinned, his eyes sliding towards her, "Aww, thanks Sakura-chan! You're super nice!"

Sakura couldn't help but laugh as she tapped Naruto's right elbow and Sasuke's left elbow with both her hands, "I'm not the _only_ one. Thanks you two, you really didn't have to."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted indifferently but Sakura could tell by a single glance that the Uchiha was completely relaxed, enjoying the casual and comfortable company that was Team Seven.

"It's the _gentlemen_ thing to _do_," Naruto announced with a smirk and wink, "And it's for _you_, simple as that!"

Another laugh escaped Sakura, a light blush dusting her cheeks, "Such a charmer, Naruto; isn't he Sasuke-kun?"

The Uchiha smirked lightly as he slid his gaze towards Naruto, "Only around you; he's a mess when it comes to the Hyuuga."

Naruto spluttered, his steps faltering, stack of files teetering dangerously before the blonde righted himself and threw an indignant stare at Sasuke, "Hey, hey, hey! What's _that _supposed to mean? I'm already involved with Hinata-chan!"

"Doesn't mean you easily turn on the charm, _dobe_," Sasuke responded, amused smirk still in place, "You become clumsier than you already are whenever you're around her."

Naruto's embarrassed blush darkened and Sakura giggled, "I think it's cute; stop teasing him, Sasuke-kun…He's in _love_!"

Sasuke's smirk increased fractionally as Sakura's final word sang in the air with a melodious hint to her tone while Naruto felt his tanned face begin to burn, "Sakura-chan!"

"Osamu-san!"

The unexpected shout over the typical babbling of Village happenings caught Team Kakashi's attention, recognizing the voice as Dai's and watching as he waved to an older man at the side of the road, currently talking to a young couple, the mother carrying her child in her arms. The older man had also responded to Dai's call and looked up, a fragile smile spreading across his wrinkled features before he bid the small family farewell and ambled his way with wooden cane towards Dai, Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto.

"Dai, my boy," He greeted in a gravelly voice, dark brown eyes politely scanning the rest of the company in acknowledgement, accompanied by a smile, "You've returned safe and sound! You had us all worried; Souta-kun had been eagerly keeping me posted of your whereabouts and the measures they were planning to take to find you; it was only a few hours ago that Souta-kun ran into me and told me of your return."

Dai smiled, "Too much to do in too little time, Osamu-san; dying _isn't_ an option for me."

The older male laughed, his white hair shifting in the wind as he closed his eyes behind his round spectacles, "Yes indeed, yes indeed. Glad to hear that. I'm assured to know we have strong, brave kids like you trying to find a solution to our problem."

Dai nodded modestly, stepping aside and gesturing to Team Kakashi, "Well, we've gotten a few new additions to the team. This here is Team Kakashi of the Village Hidden in the Leaves: Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto. Team Kakashi, this is Yamamoto Osamu, our Village's Civilian Physician," Osamu smiled and nodded his head, Sakura returning the gesture kindly, "Kasumi-chan is our main medical ninja support but she's only knowledgeable of the basics, so Osamu-san has been a huge help to our efforts, especially when it comes to injuries and analysis."

Osamu laughed, tapping his cane against the ground twice, "I'm not _that_ knowledgeable; I just do the best that I can."

"Well that _best_ has gotten us out of a lot of tough situations," Dai grinned gratefully.

"A pleasure to meet you, Yamamoto-san," Sakura greeted as she outstretched her free hand, smiling as he curled his aged fingers around the appendage and strongly shook it – hands she recognized weathered in the art of medicine.

"Please, call me Osamu," He corrected kindly; his hands pulled back and he adjusted his glasses, "I've heard a great many things about you, young Sakura, considering you're in the same field as I. It's an honor to meet you also, apprentice to Lady Tsunade and even a short comrade to the Great Chiyo of the Hidden Sand," His eyes flicked to Sasuke and Naruto, chuckling in embarrassment, "I don't follow the world of Ninja very much outside of my profession but it's a pleasure to meet you two also; Souta's mentioned your names several times but Raiden failed to mention more company other than Sakura-san's presence."

"He told you of our decision to bring Sakura-san?" Dai asked, surprised.

Osamu nodded, "Yes, he told me, the village leader, Masahiro, Shin, and Kasumi while you were gone; but I thought her arrival wasn't going to be in a few days. In _fact_, Raiden told me that I should be expecting a patient by the name of Satsuma that you were bringing back from Rain, correct? Is he at _Base_? Is he too wounded to come to my office because I'll gladly head over myself," He laughed, gesturing to Sakura, "Unless, this young lady has already patched him up?"

Dai had stiffened, Sakura tensed her grip with memory, and Naruto paled with the remembrance of what was hidden in the black, plastic bag currently clutched in Sakura's hand, "He…didn't make it."

Osamu's friendly smile faded, brows furrowing, concerned frown spreading across his thin lips, "What happened?"

Dai shook his head, "Complications…I'll send you a report once I get to finishing it."

Osamu wisely nodded his head, corner of his lip lifting in reassurance as he turned his attention back to Sakura, "Well, seeing as you've joined the team with the task of analysis I'll openly invite you to come to my office if there is any need for some additional supplies or even someone to exchange medical ideas with," He glowed excitedly, "I wouldn't even mind learning a thing or two from _you_, my dear."

Sakura smiled, "I appreciate the offer Osamu-san, I'll be sure to make a trip to your office as soon as I can."

The Physician nodded, "Looking forward to it," He turned to Dai, apologetic, "I must see to more patients but stop by also, my boy, and I'm glad to see you safe," He inclined his head towards Naruto and Sasuke, "A pleasure to meet you too, gentlemen."

"Yeah, same here," Naruto grinned, adjusting his hold on the stack of papers.

"Hn," Sasuke acknowledged.

With a final smile, Osamu began to hobble away, cane in hand, a soft humming tune drifting from him as he left. Dai smiled before gesturing to continue their journey to Team Kakashi's temporary residence, the three Leaf Shinobi following behind.

"Sorry about the delay," Dai apologized sincerely, glancing back at the baggage Naruto and Sasuke possessed, "But Osamu-san has been a big help to our cause and I owe it to him to keep him updated."

"He seems like a really nice man," Sakura observed, "Impressive that a Civilian Physician can keep up with Shinobi injuries, especially without the use of chakra."

"Well, he didn't always live in Bird Country," Dai explained, "He used to be a Civilian Physician during the Ninja World War many years ago so with all the casualties he also gained a lot of experience. He came here to settle into a more comfortable and peaceful environment and when _The Curse_ started up he was one of the first to rally in figuring out the mystery," Dai smiled, "He says he's too old to be packing up and moving and he just wants the Village to be like it was before…We all do."

"There's always hope," Naruto interjected, "As long as we got that, we have a reason to stop this, even if it takes multiple tries; as long as we have a reason."

Dai nodded, "Right. It helps having his and the other civilians' support. They give _more_ to our initial reasoning in solving this problem."

Sakura scanned her gaze across the Village streets, noticing the tension of the civilians, the stiff movements of paranoia exhibited as opposed to the carefree and comfortable countenance present in a Village without troubles; eyes darted uncomfortably towards the foreign Leaf Shinobi and the Medic's expression hardened with determination, "We'll get to the bottom of this; I'll do everything in my power to find the source of this _Curse_…I promise."

Sasuke nudged her slightly, Sakura turning her head to meet the Uchiha's steady stare, "Don't start making promises you're not sure you can keep…"

The kunoichi simply grinned in response, "I'm not promising clear and solid answers, Sasuke-kun. I'm being realistic. I _am_ promising my complete attention and devotion to this case, however. For the sake of this Village and the potential of this problem getting worse, I'm going to do anything and everything I can to stop it…"

Sasuke didn't look convinced, staring at her searchingly before turning away and shifting the load in his arms, "Sometimes, with _you_, there isn't really a difference between what you said and what I meant…"

Sakura's grin faded into a small frown, "…What do you mean?"

The Uchiha side-glanced her briefly, before shaking his head, "I've seen you and difficult cases you've encountered in the past, Sakura. Doing _'anything and everything you can_' is exactly like saying that you're going to do _'anything and everything you can until you solve the problem'_."

Sakura's brows furrowed, slightly offended, "…So?"

"Sometimes doing _'anything and everything you can'_ leads to stupid decisions and stupid actions," Sasuke continued, "If you can't solve this one you need to know when to cut your ties," He stared at her seriously, "You need to know when you have to let it go."

Sakura shook her head, incredulous, "You mean, let it go and continue to let these people suffer?"

Sasuke looked away, his eyes distant before he answered in a soft tone, "…I mean, let it go before you run yourself into the ground; don't keep chasing after something that might not have answers and could potentially hurt you in the end…_I_ would know."

Sakura blinked, speechless. It wasn't very often that Sasuke referred to the times when he was an S-Class Criminal, misguidedly seeking revenge. She knew he had a lot of regrets when it came to his defection from Konoha, it was plainly clear as she stared at his clouded, far-off gaze before it returned to focus and connected with her wide, emerald irises, clearly waiting for her confirmation that she would choose her battles wisely.

Instead, Sakura touched his arm, a sign of both comfort and the desire that she had more to say about the matter, "…I appreciate your concern, Sasuke-kun…But I don't see how this can hurt me. I'm doing my job, just like all my other missions assigned to me. I won't…_lose_ myself, if that's what you're saying."

Sasuke frowned, "This isn't like your other missions. You're not _healing_ anyone, you're not _assassinating _anyone, and you're not _negotiating_ any treaties; we're jumping into the _unknown_; we don't know _what_ we're dealing with," His frown deepened, transitioning his gaze to the street ahead, "It's a matter of you losing yourself to the mystery, underestimating the enemy with the little knowledge we have, and fighting an adversary that's already killed hundreds of people. It's a matter of you and your good heart getting carried away and getting yourself killed in the process. This is a matter that we are _not_ prepared for. So don't go making promises and don't go putting your life on the line. Missions may come first as our mandate but, in _this_ instance, safety is the top priority."

Sakura rolled her eyes, "If you really think I'm going to actually let this _Curse_ continue to haunt these people for the sake of my own life then you really don't know me, Sasuke-kun…" She sighed, "I suppose it's to be expected since it's been some time Team Kakashi has had a Mission together…"

The Uchiha stared at her silently for a few seconds before walking ahead, "On the contrary, Sakura, I know you very well, which is why I said what I said…" He looked over his shoulder briefly; his eyes softened fractionally, a mixture of slight annoyance and a majority of grimness, "… You're the kind of person who dives head-first into the problem; although admirable and ambitious of you, it sometimes gets you into trouble and you get reckless in the process. Remember that you have teammates here to help you…" He looked at the floor for several seconds, hesitant, before steadily meeting her stare, "…And I know you're the kind of person who would risk her own life for others…But forgive my selfishness that I'd rather risk the lives of others' for yours. I've known _you_ far longer than I've known _them_, it's only natural I look out for your well-being over theirs."

Sakura blinked, at a loss of words once again, "…Sasuke–"

"Just don't do anything stupid," He interrupted gruffly, turning away from her and continuing on down the road, effectively ending the conversation with his final words, "And refrain from making promises, you're starting to sound like the _dobe_."

Sakura watched Sasuke walk away, an assortment of feelings bubbling in her chest. Confusion was the most prominent; an uncertainty filling her with such an unexpected conversation, wondering _where_ the sudden exchange with _Sasuke_ – the man who rarely talked paragraphs – came from. A bit of irritation was also present, offended by the sudden lecture on her actions, yet it was a very fractional annoyance. Surprisingly, she also felt very _warm_, perhaps for the indirect show of concern for her well-being from Sasuke. It was an unorthodox show of disquiet but that was just the way Uchiha Sasuke was.

Sakura would just have to take their conversation to heart.

She couldn't lose herself to the mystery.

She had to be very careful of what she and her Team was dealing with.

And she would have to make sure that Sasuke knew that she was being serious and _realistic_ – and a _bit_ optimistic – about their involvement with _The Curse_.

"…Right…" Sakura breathed out softly as she slung the plastic bag over her shoulder, "…We can do this…" She frowned, _'…Right?'_

_

* * *

_

Their temporary residence wasn't as big as _Base_. In fact, its exterior actually looked a little more inviting than the larger quarters that Dai and his comrades resided in. The quaint house was situated on a sparsely populated street, two levels high, cream-colored with tasteful, chocolate-brown linings and shingles, the structure nicely spaced a few meters apart from the neighboring houses. The Bird Shinobi unhurriedly let Team Kakashi inside, the four passing through the wooden archway of the front door and into the narrow hallway, dimly lit by the evening rays that filtered through the high windows and opened doorway.

"I hope it's to your liking," Dai stated as he handed the keys to Sakura, navy eyes taking in the meagerly furnished interior, "…It was chosen since the previous owners will not be returning to it…"

His quiet and reverent tone clearly conveyed that _The Curse_ had taken the lives of the previous residents of the home. A pang of sadness and a little anxiety traveled up Sakura's spine with this revelation, her eyes roving along the hardwood floors and undecorated walls surrounding her, a feeling of guilt gripping her heart as she wondered whether or not her and her teammates' presence was too soon – too _intrusive_ – a stay with respect to the previous proprietors' memories.

The sudden silence that filled the house became suffocating. Dai's gaze had gone unfocused in memory – perhaps he _knew_ the previous residents of the house? – and Naruto and Sasuke stood at the entrance of what seemed to be the dining room, the blonde peeking in hesitantly before slowly setting his cargo onto the square, wooden tabletop; Sasuke followed his example just seconds after.

Sakura stared at the wooden stairs at the end of the hallway, leading into the darkness of the upper levels. The stray beams of light passing through the high windows slightly lit the way up. It looked a little foreboding to the Medic but her thoughts were interrupted by Dai, who was heading back to the front door.

"There are three bedrooms upstairs," Dai explained as he opened the door a crack, "As well as two bathrooms. The first level also has a bathroom and a living room, dining room, kitchenette, study, and a door to the backyard. The place is furnished with your basic necessities, like beds, extra sheets and pillows, some toiletries, firewood, and office supplies. If there's anything else you need the Market is a three-minute walk away and I've had Souta and Shin pick up some groceries to deliver here later to stock your kitchen."

Sakura nodded her head, showing her understanding, "Thank you, Dai-san."

The Chuunin smiled tiredly, taking another step through the doorway before shifting slightly to face her, "Is there anything else you need, Sakura-san?"

The Medic looked over her shoulder to see Sasuke and Naruto crossing through the hallway towards the living room; she scanned the bare corridor and finally turned towards Dai with a small smile of her own, "I think we're good. Although, I do have a question about the Patrol Duty tonight…"

Dai nodded, looking up at the sun, it's descent about two hours away from the horizon, "You're welcome to come, Sakura-san. Night watch starts about an hour before the sun sets and the creatures are usually at our borders right when darkness falls. I'll have Souta escort you to the Patrol Facility."

"Sounds good," Sakura agreed, "We'll see you later tonight then?"

Dai nodded, "Yeah, I'll be there," He gave a small grin before walking down the short set of stairs, waving his hand up in farewell, "Get some rest, Sakura-san, you're going to need it for tonight."

"You too," Sakura called out with a smirk and after several more seconds of watching his form move further away from the house, she closed the door and breathed out a fatigued breath.

Entering the house just seemed to sap the energy out of her.

Blowing stray strands of pink hair from her face, Sakura moved towards the dining room and placed her medical bag and the plastic bag containing Yoshiro down beside the table. Absently, she picked up the top folder from one of the two stacks Naruto and Sasuke had been carrying and started to flip through its contents as she walked towards the living room.

Sasuke and Naruto were already seated on the couches, the blonde staring at the fireplace with a frown and the Uchiha staring blankly at the far wall, clearly lost in his thoughts.

Slapping the folder shut, Sakura sighed as she fell onto the couch Naruto occupied, a migraine already throbbing at her temples.

"This is _not_ going to be easy…" She whispered, effectively catching her teammates' full attentions; she stared at the ceiling as she spoke, "In the span of four hours a whole new wave of liabilities, variables, and suspicions have come into play…"

"What do you mean, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, brows furrowing in confusion.

"More suspects, more information, more questions that need answers," Sakura listed as she simultaneously held up the folder in her possession; she sat up and met each of the boys' stares, her expression pinched with stress, "And fast dwindling time…"

"You heard Souta earlier, right?" Sasuke inquired.

Sakura nodded, "This _Plan_ in three days? Yeah, I caught that. I'm not going to ask about it until I meet the rest of the team…I don't want to be taking on another influx of important information until I've sorted through what I've just learned and have gained back my bearings. Right now, my main focus is meeting Dai-san's teammates and going on Patrol Duty tonight."

"Patrol Duty should be interesting," Naruto mumbled as he crossed his arms over his chest, "I hate sitting around and doing nothing…"

"We're not going to be fighting anything tonight, Naruto," Sakura admonished, "Just observing."

"Why _not_?" Naruto complained, fingers fidgeting.

"Because we don't know what we're dealing with yet, _dobe_," Sasuke interjected blandly.

"Best way to find out is through hands-on experience," The blonde muttered impatiently.

"Wait a little longer, Naruto," Sakura placated as she stood from her seat and made her way to the kitchenette across the hall, "We're going to need more information and preparation before we confront the enemy head-on."

Naruto pouted but said nothing more.

* * *

Sakura explored the two-story house with a caution that left her muscles uncomfortably tensed. A frown unconsciously tugged at the corners of her lips as she stared at the bare walls of the Office Study, un-faded squares of brown paint clearly indicating where picture frames once hung, most likely of the family that previously lived there. The blinds were closed, plunging the room in a dim glow but she could still see that the desk was cleaned of personal items, covered only be a thin layer of dust, spare pens, and a black desk lamp. The shelves along the walls were sparsely filled with thick books – some novels, others containing information about shinobi techniques – and a hollow knock from the adjacent filing cabinet concluded its emptiness also.

With a soft breath, Sakura reluctantly set her messenger bag on the swivel chair, placed her Inventory Scroll holding her Evidence and Notes on the desk, and reverently placed the remains of Satsuma Yoshiro beside it. After a final scan of the room, Sakura spun on her heel and left, mechanically crossing the hallway and heading up the staircase to the second floor, although her pace began to slow with every continued step. Grip tightening on the railing, Sakura stared unsurely at the frosted windows brightened by the orange rays of sunset before shaking her head and turning the final corner of the landing, stepped up the last dozen of steps, and halted to gaze upon the narrow hallway before her.

It was darker upstairs than what the large windows on the first level provided, but the Medic could easily make out the two doors lining the right side, the two doors lining the left, and the lone door at the very end of the hall. Deciding to explore in a counter-clockwise manner, Sakura walked up to the first door on the right and discovered a linen closet, filled with the necessary pillows and sheets Dai had mentioned earlier. The next door led to one of the bathrooms – the Master Bathroom in fact – which included a shower stall, large tub, toilet, numerous cupboards for towels and other bathroom items, and a long counter that had two adjacent sinks.

Slightly impressed with the size and the theme of white tile and black marble, Sakura stepped inside the bathroom, walking up to the two-sink counter and stared at her reflection of the wide mirror. She studied her appearance with a sort of detachment, as if the woman staring back at her wasn't her reflection – she looked too tired with dark bags under her eyes, too pale and maybe even a little thin; her hair was messy and lack-luster pale pink while her green eyes were…_dull_.

"Exhausted…" Sakura whispered as she ran a hand through her tresses, "I look _exhausted_…"

Turning away from the reflection – because she didn't need that image to make her mood worse, or more _stressed_ – Sakura was confronted with another doorway, a second that led into what looked like the Master Bedroom. Entering further into the room Sakura examined the large windows on the wall opposite of the doorway she emerged from, the king-sized bed below it, situated in the middle, purple sheets tastefully matching the lilac curtains. On opposite sides of the bed were twin tables, each propping a lamp, but like all other rooms nothing else was present in terms of decoration or personal life – just necessity. On the right wall was a sliding door closet and against the left wall was a small, wooden desk complete with a chair – also bare. There was another door, along the same wall as the door leading to the Master Bathroom, possibly four meters to the right that was opened and led back to the hallway – which meant that the door that stood at the end of the hall, was the direct entrance of the Master Bedroom.

After casting a final glance at the large room, Sakura exited through the hallway door, before continuing her counter-clockwise journey through the corridor. The next door was another bedroom, smaller in comparison to the Master – about half the size – unsurprisingly sparsely furnished except for a twin-sized bed, a single nightstand, a window that overlooked the front of the building, a matching drawer set and two bookshelves.

Since she stood at the doorway connecting the bedroom and the hallway, Sakura glanced to her left and found another door which was slightly ajar. Curious, she made her way towards it, pushed it open and found another bathroom. However, it was thinner, with a double-sink on the left complete with a wide mirror, and the toilet and shower stall on the right. Seeing another door on the other side of the bathroom, Sakura realized that it was a joint bathroom, so she crossed the cool tiles and opened the door to the last bedroom, stopping dead in her tracks when her sights settled, hand clenching on the door knob.

Unlike the other bedrooms, this one had character – this one had a story. The walls were painted pink, the bed was half her size, the vanity reached her hip, and the dollhouse was surrounded by various toys. The drawers were white and matched the nightstand, complete with a heart-shaped lamp. The only out-of-place item was the twin-sized futon situated in a bare corner of the room, most likely placed there by Dai, or someone charged with furnishing to their needs.

"…This child couldn't have disappeared…" Sakura whispered as she took a hesitant step onto the crème colored carpet, "…Kami, she can't have disappeared…"

_Creak._

Sakura jumped as she watched the door that led to the hallway slowly open, her eyes wide before the thudding of her heart lessened into relief when Sasuke's head peeked in. He took one look at her and her tensed posture and then glanced at the room, a frown pulling on his own lips as he took in the scene.

Both were silent for several seconds before Sasuke opened the door wider and motioned for her to join him.

"…Souta is downstairs and waiting for us," He explained as she approached him.

Sakura blinked once before meeting his gaze and nodding her head, "Right."

Before the Medic could completely exit the room, Sasuke gently caught her by the shoulder, effectively locking gazes with her. She quirked a brow in confusion.

"Are you sure you're up for Patrol Duty tonight?" He questioned, dark eyes staring straight through emerald, "If you need rest we can wait until tomorrow."

Sakura bit her bottom lip uncertainly as she averted her stare in thought, before looking back at Sasuke with a small smile, "I'm okay, Sasuke-kun. I'd like to do this tonight. I'll get plenty of rest tomorrow."

Sasuke scrutinized her for a few seconds before nodding his head, his eyes clearly conveying his reluctance to accept her words but remaining silent nonetheless. With a grunt, he released her shoulder, gently pushing her along – out of the room – before closing the door behind her.

* * *

Naruto had helpfully put the Files from _Base_ in the Study while Sakura had been upstairs and Souta exuberantly greeted her from the kitchen as he and another male put the contents of the grocery bags in their respective places. There were about ten bags total, filled with a week's worth – or more – of sustenance. Team Kakashi watched from the entrance of the kitchen as Souta bounced around excitedly while he organized the items in the cupboards, recounting for them what they bought and what ideas there were that could be made out of them.

"I'm not really sure if you like chocolate but I _had_ to get you some pocky," Souta explained as he held up the red box before placing them on the counter, "I mean, who doesn't like chocolate? I think it's the best thing to help me to get through the day, _lots_ of energy!" He began throwing some plastic wrapped items into a higher cupboard, "And I _know_ everyone needs _ramen_! Easy to make in so little time, right? I got ten of each flavor since they're so cheap."

As Souta continued his mini-debriefing of his marketplace assignment Sakura studied his silent companion. He was an efficient worker, quickly placing the canned foods in a high cupboard before putting the meats in the freezer. His expressions were rather blank, no reaction towards Souta's babbling, even when the boy occasionally bumped into him in his liveliness; and his dark eyes were drawn, unfocused, as if lost in thought.

"I wanted to buy you some mochi ice cream, but Shin-nii-san wouldn't let me," Souta pouted, throwing a half-hearted sulk at the older male's back, "They had chocolate and mango-flavored too."

Shin spoke, his voice smooth and deep, reminding Sakura of Sasuke's voice, but the Uchiha's still had a roughened edge to it – Shin's voice was like…silk, "…It was unnecessary, Souta…And expensive."

"Yeah, yeah, I heard ya the first time," Souta mumbled as he put the last of the fruits away.

As Shin walked past Souta – who was kneeling beside the last grocery bag – Sakura watched as he ruffled the boy's hair, earning a half-hearted protest as Souta fell onto his rear which prompted Shin to respond with a miniscule smirk.

Behind her, Naruto chuckled himself, earning a rising blush of embarrassment from the youngest of the group.

"Apologies for my impoliteness," Shin stated, earning Team Kakashi's attention; his smirk was gone and his dark eyes were regarding them while his hands adeptly folded up the paper grocery bags, "My name is Watanabe Shin. A pleasure to meet you."

Sakura offered a small half-smile, slightly unsure of herself with his blank stare, knowing that he was assessing her – his blank expressions actually reminded her of Sai, "The pleasure is ours, Shin-san. I'm Haruno Sakura. And you've met my teammates…?"

Shin nodded his head once, eye briefly leaving hers to consider Naruto and Sasuke, "Yes, Uchiha-san and Uzumaki-san. Are you ready to accompany us on Scout Duty?"

Sakura answered with a nod of her own, absently making sure she had her notepad on hand, smiling when she felt it secured in her back pouch, "Yeah, we're ready."

"Alrighty!" Souta announced as he zipped off to the front door, Shin following after at a more leisurely pace, "Off we go!"

As the two Bird Shinobi exited through the front door, Team Kakashi lagged behind, Sakura thoughtfully examining Shin's broad back, noticing that when he had walked by her he was probably as tall as Naruto – half a foot taller than she was, by comparison. His black – almost dark grey – hair was longer than she realized, held in a ponytail at the base of his neck and reaching down to the middle of his back. His two side bangs framing his pale face actually gave the illusion that he had short, chin-length hair.

"Is it just me…" Naruto started thoughtfully as he leaned down to whisper into Sakura's ear, "Or does that guy remind you of someone…?"

Sakura turned to close the door to the house, smiling up at Naruto, whose blue eyes were still trained on Shin contemplatively, "What makes you say that?"

"I don't know," The blonde shrugged before locking gazes with her, his expression pinched with confusion, "But when he stared at me…I felt like he was going to randomly insult me…and then smile about it."

Sakura burst out laughing and Sasuke smirked.

"H-Hey! What's so funny?"

* * *

**A/N:** Um...Hi? So before you go all "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" I'm going to first say "I'M SO SORRY!". Um, yeah, life is pretty much killing me right now. School has just been super hectic and having two jobs is killing my social life which also kills my creative writing time. I know that it has been _months_ since I last updated and I am truly sorry for that long wait. I have been trying my best to write a little everyday so I can get a chapter out to you readers as soon as possible, but things happen and I hope you understand that I have priorities over fanfiction, so thank you for your patience and support these past few months because without it I would not be updating today. Unfortunately, today's chapter was a bit of a filler chapter, I _know_ I mentioned last chapter that Patrol Duty was coming up, but as you can tell, it's _next_ chapter. Originally, it was going to be in this chapter but it would have made this installment way too long for you to read and usually - with _long chapters_ - readers tend to question when it's finally going to wrap up which leads to them rushing through to the end of the chapter and missing important details in the rush. Which is why I divided the chapter for easier reading and to make sure that it's short enough to follow along without trouble.

Lucky for you, half of the next chapter is typed out and because I feel it's one of the more interesting chapters, I've put a lot of thought into it and even gave it a different kind of formatting. So, it'll be the kind of chapter that you'll want to read for this kind of story (i.e. **Horror**). It's the kind of chapter that I want you to read so I want to get it out to you ASAP. It's the kind of chapter to play close attention to. **And** the rest of the Original Characters should be introduced too.

So, **please please please** tell me what you think so far, and **please please please** don't be **too** mad at me for making you wait so long. I'm very sorry and I will be working hard to get the next chapter up within a week. On a **Side Note**, I've also been working hard on getting the next chapters out for **The Road of Touch; The Road to Feel, Forbidden Bonds** and **How Well Do You Know YOUR SoulMate?** because I read over them and my unfinished chapters and really want to get those next chapters out. **It All Started With** will be on a prolonged break since my focus is currently on **The Curse** but that will probably change after the **Holidays** and free time comes more frequently for me.

So again: **SORRY** for the long wait. **THANK YOU** for being patient and supportive of me. And I **HOPE** you like this chapter and will continue to read this story despite my irregular updates. I'll **TRY** to become more regular!

**PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!** Let me know what you think! :)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto and Company. Just the Original Characters and Plotline.

**Next Chapter:** _Chapter Fourteen: Patrol Duty_

**Next Update:** HOPEFULLY within the week.

**To Those who have previously read and/or reviewed, a BIG THANK YOU TO YOU! YOU are the REASONS why I keep Updating!**

**You guys are the best, thank you so much for reading and reviewing and I hope to continue to scare and suspense you on the ride that is **_**The Curse**_**! This thirteenth chapter is dedicated to YOU!**

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**UPDATES TO LOOK OUT FOR:  
**_It All Started With – Chapter 17  
False Façade – Chapter 2  
Forbidden Bonds – Chapter 5  
Missing In Action - Chapter 2_

I'm sorry I haven't been updating the above stories like I've wanted to, it's just my Muse has been focusing so much on _The Curse_ and I can't let that inspiration slip by, so please be patient with the other chapters of my stories, I _will_ get to them, as soon as I possibly can.

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_**And**_! If anyone is confused about the Mapping of this story, I'd recommend checking out the World Map at (www . leafninja . com) Just take out the parentheses and spaces, it's where I get a lot of my _**Naruto Information**_! :)

**Oh!** One last thing! Anyone got a _**Twitter?**_ I made one for the sole purpose of making friends who have the same interests as me (Naruto, Inuyasha, Fullmetal Alchemist, Final Fantasy VII, Anime in general), let me know, I'm open to new friendships and whatever, up to you, just **PM** me or drop a **review! **Happy reading everyone!

**Oh!** And I plan on sending out some **Pokémon (AAML)**, **Fullmetal Alchemist (EdWin)**, and **Final Fantasy VII (CloudTifa)** Fictions too, so if you're FANS, please check them out! :)

**You Are All The Best! And Feel Free To PM Me About Recent Naruto Manga Chapters Too! Heehee!**

_**LotzaLove!  
Len83  
aka  
Luvinukag83**_


	14. Patrol Duty: Part I

**The Curse**

_**Chapter Fourteen: Patrol Duty (Part I)**_

_8:26 PM_

"Welcome to the Patrolling Facility!"

Souta extended his arms in a gesture that encompassed the entirety of the large, iron structure, looming forebodingly at the edge of the Tri-Point Forest. The sun's setting rays cast dark shadows from the grey building onto the wooden posts that stood like resolute guards along the forest line. Sakura watched the red cotton tied to the posts flap gently against the evening currents and absently sensed the dormant chakra of the ofudas that would inevitably be activated with the night's arrival. A particularly strong gust of wind blew eastward causing her pastel tresses to fly across her face. Unconsciously, the kunoichi couldn't help but feel like it was trying to pull her into the darkened depths of foliage to fall prey to its living nightmare.

Sakura's attention returned to Souta and Shin as they opened the double-door entrance leading into the Facility, the former eager and excited as he ushered Team Kakashi indoors while the latter waited patiently before closing the entryway once they were all fully inside.

As opposed to the outside, where Sakura initially thought it was a two-storey building, she was surprised to instead find a single massive room, with high windows, large industrial lights, and cemented floors. Shin veered to the left and emerald eyes tracked his movements to the corner of the room – entrance-side – where a kitchenette was set-up, most likely used by those who were assigned long patrolling shifts. Panning her gaze to the next left corner – Tri-Point Forest side – Sakura only found a large metal door, standing lonely and a little ominously in the darkness that the overhanging loft above cast upon it. Shifting back to the kitchenette, the Medic noticed a similar loft also above it – about ten meters above ground. The two lofts were also connected by a narrow bridge, surrounded by red railings for safety purposes.

"Kitchen, Study Tables, Weapons' Station," Souta ticked off as he pointed at the specified places.

Sakura followed his pointed finger to the right side of the room – opposite of the kitchenette – and noticed the after mentioned tables covered with scrolls and books. The weapons bench and rack were most likely used for sharpening tools and having the necessary back-up defenses.

Souta pointed upwards with a grin, indicating the two lofts and their connecting bridge, "Up there is the Rest Area and Viewing Deck."

The younger male began to walk towards a set of spiral stairs just a few meters away from the front entrance, leading to the loft above the kitchenette, ascending it with a child-like excitement and bounce that Sakura couldn't help but wonder _how_ such a carefree boy could be involved with a problem that was _The Curse_.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Team Kakashi was greeted by a few rows of cots, some stacked with pillows and blankets, clearly indicating that this portion of the room was the Rest Area. They followed Souta to the red railing, looking down at Ground Level thoughtfully before a masculine voice echoed in the air.

"Took you guys long enough to get here."

Sakura lifted her head to gaze across the room where the opposite loft was finding Akio leaning against the railing with a bored expression on his face, though he did raise his hand politely to greet the Konoha Shinobi. Souta stuck his tongue out at the red-head while Shin appeared from below, staring up at the Sasaki Twin with a raised brow.

"We have time to spare!" Souta countered as he crossed the bridge towards the loft Akio resided on, Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto following.

"Right," Akio sniffed sarcastically as he turned around and took a seat on a bleacher-style set-up, which was accompanied by desks that had multiple scrolls rolled over it. The Medic noticed that the arrangement was for the benefit of viewing the large landscape window that overlooked the edge of the Tri-Point Forest, the scene now bathed in a darkening orange glow.

"This is the Viewing Deck," Souta continued, ignoring Akio as he pointed at the large window, "Pretty cool, huh?"

"So, this is where you perform your research?" Sakura inquired as she walked closer to the window pane, arms crossed over her chest as she scrutinized the dimly lit landscape.

"_Used_ to," Souta answered with a smile, Sakura turning back to the younger boy with confusion, "Sometimes we use the Viewing Deck, but ever since we got The Pit installed, well, it provides a little more opportunity for better research," He snickered suddenly, "Akemi-nee-chan _hates_ going in there."

Souta's smile seemed to widen when Akio's amused snort followed his final statement.

"…So, where's this _Pit_?" Sakura asked as her peripherals caught Sasuke and Naruto silently examining the panoramic window also.

"It's in the Tri-Point Forest," Souta responded easily, grinning, "And it's the place where you're going to want to be tonight," He waved his hand in a gesture to follow, which Team Kakashi curiously did, "I don't know if you noticed, but there's an extension from this building leading into the Forest; _that_ is The Pit."

Sakura slowly nodded her head, recalling the time she, Dai, Sasuke, and Naruto had exited the Tri-Point Forest and first gazed upon the Patrolling Facility; she remembered wondering where the extension led to and what it was for.

"There are two levels," Souta explained as they walked the loft towards a metal door about ten yards to the left of the Viewing Deck Window; he pointed to the door and then pointed his index finger downward – Sakura assumed he was indicating the door she remembered seeing on Ground Level, under the loft, "Bird's Eye View and Ground View. Loft Level leads to Bird's Eye, First Level leads to Ground View; there's a staircase in The Pit for easy access also."

Souta briefly glanced away from Team Kakashi to wave his hand. Sakura followed his gaze to find Shin now sitting in the cot area, who nodded his head in acknowledgement. Satisfied, Souta turned towards the door and began to unlatch various bolts and locks; once done, he pulled the heavy barricade open which caused a groan of protest from the bulky metal.

"In you go!" Souta grinned; unfazed by the weight of the door, even when he had to pull it shut once the Konoha Shinobi had filed in.

The corridor was narrow and slightly circular, lit by dim lights and absent of windows. Upon closer inspection while she walked, Sakura noticed various ofudas plastered on the walls.

"They're precautionary," Souta explained when he noticed Sakura eyeing the seals, "The metal doors too, just in case something goes wrong and those _things_ try to get through. It's never happened before but it's better to be safe than sorry."

The narrow hallway hadn't been a long walk – probably about twenty-five yards – but it was still unnerving, being surrounded entirely by claustrophobic iron. The end of the passage was another large, metal door, which Souta pulled open with some difficulty, but he only smiled reassuringly as he gestured Team Kakashi into the room.

"Wow…" Naruto commented as Souta shut the heavy door with a resounding _boom_.

Souta walked forward and rested his fisted hands on his hips, a proud grin on his lips, "Welcome to The Pit!"

It was a circular room, about twenty meters in diameter. The walls were made of metal and iron with large panes of unbreakable glass that gave a landscape view of the Tri-Point Forest; and because they were _in _the Tri-Point Forest, it was a view surrounded by trees and more trees. Chairs were situated a few feet from the glass and fold-out desktops were accessible for note-taking and books. In the center of the room was a spiral staircase that led to the Ground View Room. The lower level's set-up was identical to that of Bird's Eye View.

On the exterior of the circular room ofudas also covered the metal portions, ensuring the occupants' protection. Various lights, also situated outside, were beginning to flicker on with the arrival of nightfall, lighting the clearing in a soft luminosity – bright enough to see through the darkness yet dim enough to not attract too much attention or avert their test subjects from coming.

Souta comfortably took a seat on one of the chairs as he gestured to the large windows and the view of the darkening forests beyond it, "Bird's Eye View is mostly used for overall observation, you know, like counting out how many _Corpses_ there are, determining a pattern of mass movement, etcetera. Ground View is pretty much an up-close observation of the _creatures_ themselves since they all like to crowd around the glass."

Sakura looked out the large windows, intrigued and impressed as she stared at the empty clearing below, "How do you run tests?"

Souta shrugged, "We hardly do. We have nothing to go off of. And _if_ tests are ever run, it's always Dai-nii-san or Raiden-nii-san doing them. They'll go out into the night and do it themselves if they have to…Dai-nii-san says that they don't like risking our safety if it doesn't have to be risked."

"Sounds like Dai-san really cares about all of you," Sakura observed as she watched the boy, "Raiden-san too."

Souta nodded his head as he absently played with the hem of his shirt, his brown eyes a little duller and saddened than minutes prior, "Yeah…They do."

The Medic noticed Sasuke descend into the Ground View portion of The Pit, followed closely by Naruto. However, seeing Souta's downcast expression – and not liking that her statement had been the cause of it – Sakura quickly decided to change the subject, "Souta…Do you know if the ofudas prevent chakra use or Jutsu use?"

His lips twisted thoughtfully, "…Well, you can use _some_ Jutsu, as long as it's the kind that doesn't need to come into direct, physical contact with the opponent, like, I don't know, _Kai_ or _Release_…" Souta shrugged, attention now focusing back on the present, "We've tried Genjutsu too but sometimes you need to lock eyes with your opponent and, if you haven't noticed, some don't have eyes and even if they _do_ get caught in the Genjutsu, we have no way of knowing how much it affects them…All they ever do is sway and stumble anyway."

The boy leaned forward and opened an ofuda-covered panel, roughly ten-inches in width and length, "Ninjutsu can be used though this, but don't keep it open for long, it's a vulnerable spot, and if the _Creature_ or _Little Girl_ are around, there's no telling if they'll be able to slip through…"

"…Have they ever tried…? Sakura asked as she stared at the opening.

"…Maybe…" Souta answered as he flipped it closed, pushing it down hard to make sure it was sealed completely, "It's never happened to me, but I'm not willing to take that chance," He then gestured his thumb downwards, "In Ground View there's another door that leads into a small transition space which has another door that leads to the outside – another precaution – _but_ we don't use it often. It's dangerous to step foot out there; it's like _begging_ to be tortured and killed if someone ever decides to do it."

"But you've done it, haven't you?" Sakura asked, her expression filled with calculation – complete seriousness and thought as the Mission began to completely take the forefront of her mind, "You've gone out there at night; you've fought those things, right?"

Souta remained silent as he stared out the glass, a small frown curving his lips, "…It's not the part of the job that I look forward to, but _someone's_ gotta do it. _We_ gotta do it if we wanna barely scratch the surface of finding out what's going on…Going out _there_," He sighed, closed his eyes, and shook his head, "It's scary…Your heart never stops pounding and you wonder _every single second_ whether or not it'll be your last mission…Your last living moment."

Sakura remained silent, staring solemnly at the young boy, unnerved to see his ever-present grin absent, once again, from his young countenance. In the short time since meeting Yoshida Souta, not seeing his large grin and bright eyes made it feel like things were terribly wrong, even when she knew that he probably exhibited the same somber expressions – and _more_ – since before she met him.

"Hey!" Naruto called from below, "I see something!"

Darkness had finally shrouded the entire Tri-Point Forest, and with it the _creatures_ were beginning to emerge. Souta leaned forward in his seat and Sakura watched with abject fascination as various silhouettes began to walk uncoordinatedly and disjointedly towards The Pit. From her high perch Sakura observed that they came from all sides, but the majority of the group appeared from the Northeast. Upon closer inspection, the Medic also noticed that they were all _Corpses_. The _Creature_ and _Little Girl_ had yet to be seen and the kunoichi was still unaware of what a _Deformed_ really looked like.

The closer they approached the louder their moans, hisses and babbled whispers became. Briefly, Sakura flicked her gaze back to Souta, a little surprised to see his expression completely serious and withdrawn, brows sharply furrowed as he glared at the approaching shadows, looking down at them with contempt as he rested his chin upon his upturned left palm.

"…Will you be staying, Souta?" Sakura asked a bit hesitantly, unsure if she wanted to break his heated trance.

He blinked once before turning his head towards her, offering her the small grin she was used to seeing, before he saluted his free, index finger, "I'm at your service, Sakura-nee-chan. So, yeah, I'll be sticking around until you need me to do anything. Akio-nii-san and Shin-nii-san will be taking shifts in here too."

Sakura nodded, "I see. Well, I think I'm going to start downstairs and run a few tests at Ground View."

Souta responded with another grin, "Alrighty. I'll be here if you need me."

The Medic smiled, "Thank you, Souta."

"Anytime!"

And with a final salute, the young Chuunin returned to his personal observations, smile melting away into a contemplative frown, brows once more pulled together in concentration.

As Sakura descended the spiral staircase to Ground Level, she couldn't help but wonder what other personality changes she was going to witness among the Shinobi of the Bird Border Village.

"It's freaky enough when you're sitting in a _house_ surrounded by these things," Naruto stated as he sat in a far seat of the circular room, "But to have to sit in a _room with only windows_ and _watch_ how freaky they are…It's just _disturbing_."

"It's an _objective_ Naruto," Sakura responded with a wry smirk, removing her notebook and pen before taking a seat closest to the windows, "We need to learn about our enemy before we decide a plan of action."

"…_Still_…" Naruto bemoaned dramatically.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto before taking a seat beside Sakura, glancing down at the notebook in her hands before switching his gaze to her emerald eyes which were trained solely on the grey-fleshed bodies bumping and crowding around the panes of glass that protected them.

"They know we're here…" Sakura muttered as she looked away from the mass of decaying corpses to jot into her notebook, "They're drawn to this spot…" She briefly glanced at Sasuke and Naruto searchingly before removing a kunai from her thigh holster, "We're not injured, but what if I do _this…_?"

Before Sasuke could react, Sakura had cut into her palm, blood pouring freely and thickly down her wrist, dripping onto her lap. The results were immediate, the moaning and hissing increasing in volume as the bodies pushed even more roughly into each other and the pane of glass, only to be stopped by the blue barrier the ofudas created.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelped, sitting up as he stared wide-eyed at the profusely bleeding wound.

"What do you think you're _doing_?" Sasuke hissed darkly, watching as Sakura calmly moved her hand back and forth along the window in wide, sweeping motions, the _Corpses_ somewhat following despite their lack of coordination.

"Relax," Sakura responded as she began to jot down in her notebook again, her injured hand briefly encased in healing-green chakra leaving only smooth skin and a drying trail of crimson; she rolled her eyes before regarding her teammates, "I'm a _Medic Nin_, remember?"

"…_Still_…" Naruto repeated as he eyed the blood splotch that had dripped and smeared onto her lap.

"Next test…" Sakura mumbled, moving on; she eyed the mass of walking cadavers thoughtfully, noticing their torn clothes barely hanging onto their thin, spindly bodies, ribs easily seen, cheeks thinned from malnourishment, hair unkempt and almost balding, and eyes – completely gone or wide with insanity and absent of consciousness.

Slowly, Sakura placed her hands in a single seal, eyes never straying from her test subjects, "…_Kai_!"

Nothing happened and after three more tries with no results Sakura sighed and recorded it in her notepad.

This was going to be a _long_ night.

_9:37 PM_

The exhalation of breath that left Sakura's lips was quick and short, an action that expressed her frustration and annoyance as she switched from glaring at her notebook to glaring at the _Corpses_ standing mindlessly just meters in front of her. Patience was dwindling the more her pen tapped rhythmically against her thigh, brows furrowing as her mind began to process multiple scenarios, outcomes, theories, and predictions.

So far, all the thinking was giving her nothing but a massive headache.

Naruto remained in his chair three rows back, the spiral staircase behind him, royal blue eyes flickering to every sudden movement, body clearly tensed, ready for the first thing to go wrong and for him to respond accordingly to it.

Sasuke remained in the seat beside Sakura's, typically quiet as he watched the scene before him, eyes sharp with calculation even if his body was completely relaxed leaning into his chair; his elbows were propped on the armrests and his hands were laced together just below his narrowed eyes.

"Attracted to blood," Sakura muttered as she tapped the particular bullet point in her notes with the end of her pen, "Repelled by massive quantities of chakra; which explains the ofudas and the attacks on _Civilian_ Villages as opposed to Shinobi Villages," She bit her lip, "They come out only at night; can be repelled briefly by light, heat – _fire_…They can be Reanimated and don't seem to experience _pain_, especially when Sasuke basically cut off Yoshiro-san's head and remaining leg yesterday night…"

Sasuke's eyes briefly flickered her way at the mention of his name, yet Sakura was too lost in thought to notice.

"There is only _one_ _Creature_ and _one_ _Little Girl_," The Medic continued, "_They_ have to be the _key_; they have to have some kind of story, right? Why is there only one of each when there are so many _Corpses_? And what would make the _Deformed_ so different?" Sakura's free hand clenched, "And _why_ do they know _my_ name?"

"How are things going down here?"

Naruto startled, blonde heading whipping around in a flash to stare at the staircase where Dai was casually descending, the Bird Shinobi's navy eyes regarding the _Corpses_ before shifting to the members of Team Kakashi. Akio followed with a nonchalant gait, hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Warn a guy next time, will ya?" Naruto mumbled as he slouched back in his chair.

"It's…" Sakura paused, glanced at the _Corpses_ still crowding aimlessly in front of the window, and frowned, "…going. Just trying to get my thoughts in order so we can go about this the right way."

Dai nodded his head in understanding, remaining at the foot of the spiral stairs, leaning against the railing, while Akio settled in the same row as Naruto, perched on the back of the chair with his feet resting on the seat.

"You have this _Pit_," Sasuke spoke up, eyes never leaving the scene beyond the window, "And it's obvious these creatures flock here, and I assume that they do so every night," Dark eyes finally slid to connect with deep navy, "Have you ever thought to set any traps to capture them for study?"

Sakura's brow rose thoughtfully, before nodding her head and setting her sights on Dai, eager for an answer.

'_Sasuke's_ _right_,' She thought, '_They're just feet away; a well-placed trap could easily prove useful in obtaining a test subject_.'

Unfortunately, Dai sighed, "We've tried. _Believe me_. It's the _first_ _thing_ we tried when we put in The Pit," His gaze flickered to Sakura, "But remember, they have intelligence too. Your lantern and Satsuma Yoshiro are obvious examples. When we set out those traps, no matter how deceiving and subtle they were…"

"…They always managed to avoid them, or spring it without getting caught," Akio finished with a frown, "I know it seems hopeless in solving the mystery because of the little knowledge we have but it's not because _we're_ incompetent," He glared at the window, "It's because those ugly bastards are _smart_…_too_ smart."

"Any ideas on why that may be?" Sakura questioned.

Dai shook his head, "Just theories," He sighed, "For all we know, those _things_ can be observing us just as carefully as we are right now; they might be swaying like mindless idiots but no one _knows_ what's _really_ going on in those fucked up heads of theirs."

Sakura frowned, turning back to the window. She hadn't thought of _that_. To think that as she stared at the thin _Corpse_ of a young woman with blood-stained brown hair, her left arm bent in a grotesque way, one leg limping in her jerky movements and mouth opened to allow her moans to spill out – could this one-eyed _Corpse_ be observing _her_ just as intensely as Sakura was observing _them_?

Could they hear her and her spoken theories? Could they think and deliberate to somehow thwart her efforts?

Maybe it wasn't so far-fetched since the _Creature_ and _Little Girl _clearly showed the ability to communicate; maybe it was those two that ultimately controlled the _Corpses_ to their bidding.

"…You say this is a _Curse_…" Sakura started as she scanned the grey faces lined before her – young, old, male, female – her eyes narrowed, "_Curses_ are supposed to derive from something, right? A story? Death in hatred made tangible to enact revenge…So what's _this Curse_'s story?"

Akio shrugged, "There isn't one. At least not that _we _know of. There are variations made by the Villagers and some people at the Capitol – stories were bound to be made – but this one kind of just…_grew_ into a fear with all the continuous murders. They basically called it a _Curse_ because of its mystery. There's no constant, no particular trend in victims…"

"But there _is_ a constant," Sakura interjected, "Several: The _Creature_, the _Little Girl_, the victims becoming _Corpses_, the fact that nothing is left behind for evidentiary value and the presence of the dark trail substance too."

"Recent additions to our limited knowledge," Dai informed, arms crossed over his chest as he bowed his head thoughtfully, "It's a new start to our investigation. The only theory I can come up with is the _Creature_ and _Little Girl_ having a connection – they frequently work together. Hopefully we'll know even more in a few days."

"_The Plan_, right?" Sakura inquired, Dai's head lifting so his eyes could connect with hers, "Souta mentioned it earlier, when we were at _Base_."

Dai nodded his head – neither surprised nor angry with her knowledge of the event, "We've been planning it for weeks. Basically we'll be dispatching into groups to try and find where they hide during the daylight hours…It's going to be a rough and time-consuming process."

"Why's that?" Naruto asked.

"Because we'll be trying to cut through the Tri-Point's heart – The Twisted Valley," Akio answered, green eyes darkened with anticipation as a smirk crossed his lips, "I have a feeling we'll find them in there."

Immediately, Sakura remembered when she followed the dark trail left behind by the _Creature_ to the edge of a darker and denser part of the Tri-Point Forest just the day before. Maybe Akio's feeling was right. It seemed like a place that the _creatures_ would hide, but why only _now_ were they investigating it?

"It's difficult to cut through," Dai responded to her unasked inquiry, "Thick trees and the darkness beyond make it an area that we're wary of treading. However, recently we all took a vote on it and who would be willing to go in; and with all that's been going on we're pretty much ready to go through _anything_ if it means finally ending this nightmare," He sighed, "The process also takes a lot of planning; tools we need, shifts to take, best techniques to use for effective results. We'll be starting at dawn…and we aren't going to stop…even when night falls."

"But that's when those _things_ come out," Naruto reminded, brows furrowed, "I thought you said they could easily pick you off one by one in the dark."

"They can still be fought," Akio reasoned, "So we're going to fight. However, we're hoping we'll have cut through to the other side before we resort to that outcome."

"I'll debrief you on the entirety of the details tomorrow," Dai concluded, pushing away from the railing and beginning to ascend back to Bird's Eye View, "I'm going to check on Shin; Akio, you stay here with Team Kakashi and Souta."

Sakura watched Dai go, thoughtful, as Akio stood, dusted his pants and bid farewell to join Souta above.

"Talk about brain overload," Naruto groaned as he rubbed his forehead.

Sakura couldn't agree more. Staring down at her additional notes, Sakura bit her bottom lip; her sights settled on four particular words that she circled: _Creature_, _Little Girl_, and _Story_.

"If we're going to find a way to defeat this _Curse_…" Sakura thought aloud, "We're going to have to discover its true origins also…"

_10:23 PM_

She had now resorted to pacing. Her notebook lay forgotten on the attached desk of her seat, the once-blank pages now filled with numerous notes; some were crossed out in agitation, others were connected by lines and arrows, while most had large question marks decorating the margin.

Naruto was leaning over the back of the chair in front of him, blue eyes trailing Sakura as she stepped four long strides to the left, five short steps to the right, stopped, murmured indistinctly to herself, and then repeated the process all over again.

Sasuke hadn't moved from his spot, though his arms had shifted to cross against his chest and his eyes had closed, probably irritated with Sakura's fidgeting; though the action only enhanced his sense of hearing as the whispers and moans became more prominent to him.

"What if…" Sakura stopped, Naruto pulled from his trance when Sakura's third step to the right failed to land, he eyed her with confusion when she slowly turned towards the window and took three steps towards it.

The break of Sakura's rhythmic and routine footsteps caused Sasuke to open his eyes and he too stared at Sakura's back with mounting curiosity.

"Sakura-chan?"

The Medic raised her hand in a signal for silence before that same hand lowered to her chest to join its twin, creating a hand sign equivalent to honing concentration.

"Chakra plays a part…" Sakura whispered, emerald eyes closed, "I didn't sense any the first time, but if I search _harder_…"

In the darkness of her obstructed vision, Sakura easily spread her chakra senses behind her, testing her range in warm-up as her aura gently passed over Sasuke's evocative blue before touching upon Naruto's fierce red. Both signatures seemed like contradictions to her – untamed in their raw energy yet so controlled by their strong and resolute presences. While Sakura's green signature was also strong in its own right she prided in the passionate yet gentle and soothing presence it offered to those who had come into contact with it from her healing.

Moving away from the security of Sasuke's and Naruto's respective blue and red energies, Sakura carefully edged her signature forward, slowly past the windows, through the light blue barrier of Dai's ofudas and coming into contact with a grey…_haze_. The kunoichi's brows furrowed with confusion and further concentration.

Clearly, a chakra signature was present if she could identify _something_ covering the mass of _Corpses_ but identifying it was a difficulty she was having trouble overcoming. Carefully, she tested her limits, pushing forward to somehow break through the haze, moving alongside it to find some kind of opening, but to no avail, Sakura's examination had once again ended in a frustrating dead-end.

A childish pout involuntarily appeared on her features, teeth grinding together in irritation.

Her chakra senses were adequate at best and with the combined efforts of her perfect chakra control, she did make an exceptional tracker. However, there was a difference between those that could sense chakra through effort and those born with the gifts to easily ascertain different chakra patterns and signatures. Hyuuga Hinata was one such tracker, especially with the Byakuugan which had the ability to track and determine chakra through colored auras – or so she had read. Inuzuka Kiba was also a skilled shinobi in the art of tracking – one sniff and he could easily detect and identify his target from miles away.

However, there was one shinobi whose abilities would prove _perfect_ for this case and hopefully her Shishou would be able to recruit that person by her request.

It was all a matter of that person _agreeing_, however.

Sakura sighed, her senses retracting, leaving the fading and muffled source she had been trying to examine and scrutinize for the past fifteen minutes, "Damn it…I'm only gleaning the surface. But it's definitely ominous…And _not_ from a human source."

"So it's a ghost…?" Naruto asked uncertainly.

Sakura shook her head, "…I don't know."

Naruto laughed uneasily, "Not very reassuring, Sakura-chan."

The Medic smiled weakly, "Sorry, Naruto." She exhaled heavily and fell into her seat, "It would be so much easier if we had a Byakuugan User with us, or even…" She paused and slid her gaze to Sasuke.

The Uchiha was staring at the horde of _Corpses_ apathetically, though the tiniest furrow of his brow betrayed his annoyance with them – _what_ exactly he was annoyed about Sakura had no clue.

"Sasuke-kun," She acknowledged, earning a flicker of acknowledgement from his dark irises, "Would you mind using your Sharingan? See if there's an illusion or anything strange about them?"

The kunoichi watched as Sasuke's dark eyes bled crimson, tomoes whirling with use before he turned away from her and carefully scanned the line-up of groaning cadavers before them. The Uchiha's jaw locked slightly which made Sakura frown in concern.

"…Sasuke-kun?"

"Nothing," He answered, "No illusion. Nothing strange. The Sharingan wouldn't be as useful as the Byakuugan in this situation." His tone was a little resentful but Sakura summed it up to the fact that Sasuke probably wished his Sharingan could have helped a little more in the investigation.

"I could–"

"No," Sakura interrupted knowingly, earning a short glare from the ex-Avenger, "Don't use _that_ form, I _know_ you don't like using that form. Don't even _try_ it."

"Using Amaterasu could help destroy them," Sasuke countered smoothly, the three tomoes of his irises beginning to spin lazily.

"It can also cause side-effects to your sight and sap a lot of your chakra. You may have…_his_…eyes to prevent blindness but I still think it's _dangerous_," Sakura growled, holding her bloodied hand up, "Don't _make me_ knock you out."

"You're a _Medic Nin_," Sasuke smirked, quoting her earlier reasoning for slicing her hand open, "You can heal them if something goes wrong, _remember_?"

"Are you _mocking_ me?" Sakura frowned, eyes narrowing dangerously with challenge.

Sasuke's Sharingan began to spin faster, arms crossed comfortably over his chest, smirk still in place, "Hn."

"Uchiha Sasuke, don't you _dare_," Her warning tone clearly conveying her seriousness of the matter; her frown deepened, "Let me be selfish and say that I'd rather find another way than to risk your sight. So turn your damn bloodline _off_."

Sasuke's smirk melted into a frown, at a loss since his earlier words had been used against him. If he didn't abide by her selfish request than she would take it as a go-ahead to not abide by _his_ selfish request also. Receding his Sharingan, Sasuke turned away from her with a noncommittal grunt.

"Hn."

Silence. Sakura glared at her notebook as she scribbled away and Sasuke glared at the _Corpses_ as he clenched and unclenched his fists.

"Uh…" Naruto spoke up from behind them, "What the _hell_ was _that_ all about?"

"_Nothing_," Sakura snapped, unsure as to why she was now in such a foul mood – Sasuke simply had a way of doing that to her; she sighed, trying to relax her muscles, "…It's nothing."

Deciding to not let anything else make her mood go further downward, Sakura pushed on, eager to get as many tests as she could done.

She glanced over her shoulder to pin Naruto with a stern stare, "Alright, Naruto, it's your turn…I need your help for this particular test and it would help if you sat up here, with us, to run it."

Naruto looked at the free seat beside her – which was awfully close to the window pane, "…Are you sure back _here_ isn't an okay distance?"

Sakura shook her head, offering the blonde a reassuring smile, "Don't worry Naruto, you'll be okay with me; they're not going to be getting through anytime soon."

Sasuke smirked, "What? _Scared_, dobe?"

The blonde was immediately out of his seat and glaring at the Uchiha, "I'm _not_ scared! I'm being…I'm being _cautious_!"

Before Sasuke could continue, Sakura roughly elbowed him in the ribs, earning a sharp glare in _her_ direction.

"Knock it off," The Medic threatened, before kindly patting the free seat beside her for Naruto to take.

Naruto stiffly made his way to the front of the circular room and took the empty chair beside Sakura, his blue eyes never straying from the window and the _creatures_ beyond it. Reassuringly, Sakura took the blonde's larger hand into hers and squeezed it, earning his attention, though his body was still tensed.

"Relax Naruto," Sakura comforted, a small smile gracing her lips, "Where'd all that energy go for wanting to _fight_ these things?"

Naruto offered her a wry, half-smile, "Being thrown outside to fight them is one thing, Sakura-chan…" He side-glanced the _Corpses_ and frowned, "But sitting here for hours listening to them make those…_sounds_ is just something else all together. I mean, those _things_ used to be _real_, _living_ people…"

"I know, Naruto…" The Medic affirmed solemnly as she regarded the grey-fleshed figures, she looked back up at him, determination lighting her emerald irises, "So, I'm going to need your help so we can finally lay them to rest…"

Naruto slowly grinned and squeezed her petite hand, "Alright, what do you need me to do?"

Sakura smiled, releasing his hands and picking up her notebook, "What I need you to do, Naruto, is enter your Sage Mode; you told me that it's a technique that relies on the gathering of natural energy for chakra-use, so I'm assuming that when in that state you can detect energy also."

"So you want me to see what kind of energy I find when observing them through Sennin Mode?" Naruto inquired, his hands already moving in readiness to perform the needed seals.

"Yes, please," Sakura answered.

Naruto nodded once before he closed his eyes and moved his hands in a careful but swift series of seals. Sakura watched with a mixture of awe and pride as Naruto inhaled deeply, his eyes changing shape and gaining an orange color and the aura around him seeming to intensify with the added power that was natural energy.

The blonde exhaled quietly before he opened his eyes. His irises had changed from a deep, royal blue into a yellow just a few shades lighter than his blonde hair, and his pupils were shaped like rectangles that reminded Sakura of the many Toad Summons she had met through Naruto. With a look of resolve – that Sakura was accustomed to seeing when her best friend was faced with a problem he would fight to his last breath to solve – he scanned the groaning crowd of _creatures_, eyes narrowed calculatingly as they darted from one corpse to the next.

"It's…_strange_…" Naruto finally said, brows furrowed, "_Different_ from what you and Sasuke are giving off. But I can definitely say that it's a _natural_ energy, I just can't pinpoint what kind; I'm not familiar with it…"

Sakura immediately wrote down Naruto's explanation word for word, her own brows creased with deep thought, "So it's definitely a sort of chakra and more associated with the _natural_ kind rather than the _human_ kind…" She sighed, "Maybe they _are_ ghosts or lost souls in reanimated bodies, emanating residue chakra from their past living selves…I was hoping that wasn't the case. I was hoping it was a Jutsu or someone controlling them…But it looks like this really is some kind of _Curse_; one that needs to be put to rest."

"Still…" Sasuke spoke up, "Don't completely rule out the possibility of a Jutsu or someone controlling them…"

"I know…" Sakura nodded; she turned to Naruto, "Thanks Naruto. Is there anything else worth mentioning?"

Naruto pursed his lips, "…The aura that's surrounding them…It leads farther, _deeper _into the Tri-Point Forest…Northeast."

Scribbling down the observation, Sakura tapped her pen thoughtfully against her lower lip, "Sounds like Akio-san and Dai-san might be right about where they're hiding…The Twisted Valley."

"It's concentrated in a large space too," Naruto continued, "There's even some pockets of the same energy moving throughout the Forest…It might be other _Corpses_ or _creatures_. But that's pretty much all I'm getting…"

"It was all _very_ helpful," Sakura assured, "Thanks, Naruto. It clears up a few things for us. They're giving off a particular chakra from a _natural energy_ source and they seem to reside deep in the Tri-Point Forest. However, we'll have to check again during the daylight hours to see if we get the same results."

"No problem, Sakura-chan," Naruto grinned lightly as the physical characteristics of his Sage Mode began to fade away, "Glad I could help."

"How about the Kyuubi?" Sasuke suggested, "Makoto said that they're repelled by large quantities of chakra and the Nine-Tails _is_ a powerful source."

"Sasuke-kun's right," The Medic agreed as she turned back to Naruto, "Think you could pulse the Kyuubi's chakra a few times so we can see the reaction? If we're lucky, it'll repel them."

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, I'll give it a go."

Just as before, Naruto closed his eyes, sitting completely still as he inhaled and exhaled steadily. However, instead of markings surrounding his eyes, the scarred whiskers on his cheeks became darker before the entirety of his body became encased by an ephemeral yellow glow. As opposed to the untamed red chakra of his youth, the yellow-gold chakra reminded Sakura of Naruto's retelling of the struggle he had overcome when it came to completely controlling the Nine-Tailed Demon.

'_DEMON!'_

Sakura's head snapped forward, away from Naruto to watch with wide eyes as the _Corpses_ converged on the windows, their cries and groans turning into agonizing screams of desire as they moved towards the spot Naruto sat. Both Sakura and Sasuke sat up in their seats, alarmed that the _creatures_' cries were even louder than when Sakura had cut into her hand to produce blood.

'_DEMON! DEMON!'_

"Naruto!" Sakura called, her hand reaching out to grasp his sleeve, eyes never straying from the _Corpses_ pounding their fists and bodies into the light-blue barrier, the chakra shield cackling against the heavy force.

"_H-H-Hey, what's going on?"_ Souta's voice yelped from above.

"Naruto!" Sakura tried again, finally turning her emerald eyes on him, shaking the sleeve she grasped to get him out of his trance, "Naruto, stop now! You need to stop _now_!"

"…kura-chan…_Can't_…" Naruto answered with a strained voice, his eyes having failed to open, brows scrunched together as if he were caught in an internal battle, "…It's…" His sentence cut off into an agonized moan of pain, Sakura's heart stopping at the sound only to be replaced by an unrelenting fear for her friend's safety.

"Naruto!"

The hand gripping her arm was suddenly swatted away and reversed in hold. Sakura winced as lengthened nails dug painfully into the skin of her wrist. Looking up, her heart stopped once again as she stared into Naruto's red eyes, his mouth barred revealing long fangs as the yellow chakra around him began to flicker into a deep crimson.

"What's going on?" Akio shouted as he appeared at the staircase, his olive eyes widening upon seeing Naruto's transformation, "Naruto-san?"

Briefly, from her peripherals, Sakura could see a column of fire shoot from above, causing the _Corpses_ to scream in rage and move away from the chakra-shield – her mind immediately assuming that Souta, from Bird's Eye View, was the cause for the attack.

"…Make it _stop_!" Naruto pleaded, his eyes clenching shut as he shook his head from side to side, "Make it stop! Make it stop! _Make me stop_!"

Sakura flinched when his strong grip tightened; her free hand hesitantly beginning to flicker from blue to green; unsure which technique would be better to knock her best friend out and free him from his pain.

'_DEMON!'_

Another column of fire erupted, less effective than the last. The _Corpses_ surged upon the window, ragingly pounding against the chakra-barrier, trying to get through.

"Naruto!"

The voice that called her best friend's name had not been her own. Sakura watched as a dark form swept from behind her to stand before Naruto. Recognizing Sasuke, his Sharingan quickly spinning, Sakura watched as his hand latched onto the hand that grasped her wrist, gaze boring heatedly upon Naruto's miserable expression.

"Release Sakura, Naruto," Sasuke ordered darkly, "Look at _me_."

"I-It…_hurts_!" Naruto groaned, refusing to open his clenched eyes.

The flickering chakra of Sakura's free hand immediately snuffed out and she reached forward and palmed Naruto's cheek, wincing at the heat of the Kyuubi's chakra but keeping her gentle hold, "Naruto, you need to listen to Sasuke-kun, you need to _look_ at him so the pain can go away…_please_."

Several seconds passed as the screams and moans outside rose in volume. Naruto's hand around Sakura's wrist began to lessen in grip and his eyes slowly began to open, little by little, until his red eyes snapped open, wide, head falling back as an agonized shout left his mouth, chakra spreading unpredictably, and hands coming up to grab onto his spiky, blonde locks.

"Sakura!" Sasuke shouted.

"Right!" The kunoichi was already out of her seat; her hands were bordered in blue chakra as she hopped into the row of chairs behind Naruto and took hold of his hands and head, forcing him to gaze into Sasuke's Sharingan irises.

A few more seconds of effort and Naruto's red eyes locked onto Sasuke's, the black tomoes of the Sharingan spinning rapidly as Sakura watched her two boys with rising fear.

'_DEMON!'_

Emerald eyes shut, not wanting to look upon the _Corpses_ or the pain Naruto was experiencing. Her hands, however, held Naruto firmly yet gently; she took comfort that she had a hold on him and immediately allowed healing chakra to encase her hands and lend reprieve to Naruto's pain.

Soon, Naruto's own fingers against his temples began to slacken, the Kyuubi's chakra began to fade, and the moaning and hissing began to lessen into the steady groans and whispers of before. Sakura's eyes finally opened to see Sasuke tumble back into the railing that stood along the window, one hand to his temple while he searchingly appraised Naruto. The Medic looked down at the blonde, noticing the sweat coating his forehead and smoothed back the blonde locks from his face.

"Naruto…?" Sakura whispered unsurely.

For a moment, the fear returned full-force when Naruto didn't respond, but then, a shaky hand rose and tiredly found hers at the side of his head, squeezing her fingers weakly.

"…I'm okay now…" He whispered, voice raspier than usual, "…I'm okay…"

"Oh thank Kami," Sakura choked as she wound her arms around Naruto's neck and hugged him from behind, careful of his weakened form, "I'm so sorry Naruto, that test went _too_ far–"

Naruto chuckled weakly, patting her arm, "Isn't that what tests are _for_, Sakura-chan? Figuring out what's good and what's not?" He grinned a little stronger, though his blue eyes still looked fatigued, "Now we know that we can't do that again; Lesson learned."

"How are you feeling?" Sasuke asked, dark eyes assessing him.

Naruto laughed softly, "Didn't know you cared so much, Teme."

"Tch," Sasuke scoffed, "Answer the question, _dobe_."

Naruto laughed again as Sakura pulled away, but he answered nonetheless, "I'm okay, _really_. Just…_tired_. It was really weird though…When I was in Kyuubi Mode it was like my chakra and the _creatures'_ chakras were being drawn to each other…Like they were sucking it away from me and I was taking it away from them…And it _hurt_ so much because I could hear so many voices, all at once – talking and screaming and shouting…It was hurting my head…and my _heart_ too…"

Sakura bit her lower lip, laying her hands over Naruto's shoulders and performing a chakra-scan of his body, "…You seem to be okay; there's no physical damage to your body and your chakra system hasn't changed. I'm guessing it was proximity to them that made the connection so effective. _Why_ that is, is a mystery itself, however…"

"Kyuubi doesn't know what happened either…" Naruto informed, his eyes closed, "He's just as surprised as all of us."

"Is everything okay?" Akio asked hesitantly from the top of the staircase, "I mean, what just happened?"

"_Yeah_!" Souta shouted in agreement from Bird's Eye View, "_What the heck made those things go all crazy_?_"_

"It was the Kyuubi," Naruto answered wearily as he stood up despite Sakura's protests, "I don't know why it affected them like that but I don't think I'm not going to be using that particular power again anytime soon."

"You should rest, Naruto," Sakura urged, pointing to the seats.

Naruto smiled, "I will, Sakura-chan. Just not…_here_," He looked at the _Corpses_ behind her with an unreadable expression before grinning at both of his teammates, "I'm going to bunker down in one of the cots in the Facility."

"Do you want us to go with you?" The Medic asked, clearly still worried for her teammate's welfare.

Naruto merely waved his hand, "Don't worry about me, I'm okay. Do what you have to do Sakura-chan; I'm only a few yards away."

"…Alright…"

"I'm okay, _really_," Naruto assured with a smile.

He turned and began to ascend the spiral staircase, Akio's voice already offering to escort him back to the Main Building. It wasn't until Naruto's recognizable orange was out of sight that Sakura turned back to the window with narrowed eyes, a deep frown marring her features.

"What _are_ you?" Sakura whispered fiercely, unaware of Sasuke's eyes on her, "And _why_ are you attracted to the chakra of a _demon_?"

_11:11_ _PM_

Sakura flexed her wrist – remembering the tight grip that had held it – and gazed thoughtfully at the purple marks Naruto's strong fingers left behind. With a delicate flourish, green chakra swirled around the wound, brightened over the bruises and faded until unmarred skin remained.

Beside her, Sasuke sat quietly, a little more slouched than before and occasionally rubbing at his eyes – the action didn't go unnoticed by Sakura.

"Naruto's right," Sakura spoke up, eyes narrowed dangerously on the forms through the clear glass, "…We need a little more hands-on experience…"

Sasuke's eyes slid towards her, brows furrowed, "And how exactly are you planning to achieve that? Better yet, what knowledge do you think you'll gain out of it?"

"We go out there," Sakura answered with a smirk, before assessing Sasuke and his tired eyes, "_I_ go out there. And whatever happens is knowledge gained."

Sasuke stared at her, unmoving, "…Are you _insane_?"

Sakura rolled her eyes, "_Now_ is the time to get answers, Sasuke-kun."

"And you're going to risk yourself getting killed to get them," Sasuke countered disapprovingly.

"No," The kunoichi sighed as she created a hand sign, a subsequent _puff_ of smoke appearing before them; Sakura grinned, "My clone will."

Sasuke glanced between the original Sakura and clone-Sakura with a deep frown, clearly doubtful of the plan but not vocalizing his opinion. His only answer was a short shake of his head before he sat up straighter and awaited the outcome.

Grinning triumphantly, Sakura nodded her head to the clone, which obediently made her way to the door that led to the containment room. After locking the first door shut, clone-Sakura took a deep readying breath while Sakura stood from her seat and leaned against the rail, desiring for a better examining view.

The door opened, clone-Sakura stepped out, swiftly closed the door and clenched her fists, ready for battle. Sakura made sure that she put enough chakra into the doppelganger that the lightest of touches didn't expel the Jutsu and that the clone's attacks would prove effective.

"Alright," Sakura whispered as she leaned forward, already watching the _Corpses_ begin to notice the clone's presence, "Let's hope this test proves useful also."

_11:44 PM_

The _Corpses_ were vicious when they fought. Though, Sasuke wouldn't even term it as _fighting_ but more like _preying upon_ with the intention to solely feed. The Uchiha watched the display from his seat, Sharingan activated to retain the memory and movement of the _Corpses_ and how they reacted to Sakura's clone's attacks. Admittedly, her clone lasted longer than most others did when outnumbered, using fists and feet to drive off the grey-fleshed _creatures_ as well as picking up surrounding trunks, boulders, and branches to use as weapons.

It was over twenty minutes of fighting, both Sakura and Sasuke silently observing, that the clone faltered, caught off guard. A part of Sasuke's chest clenched uncomfortably, reminding himself that the _real_ Sakura was only feet away from him – but _seeing_ Sakura, even if only a _clone_, taken by the arms and hair, shouting out in surprise as the _Corpses_ pulled with the intention to rip her apart, and a male cadaver lunging towards her, mouth opened and ready to feed off her exposed neck – Sasuke wanted nothing more than to take his Kusanagi and run it through all the graying-flesh surrounding her.

Fortunately, Sakura's clone '_poofed'_ from existence earning a unified cry of rage from the _Corpses_ before they migrated back to the ofuda-protected _Pit_.

However, when the doppelganger disappeared, its memories came rushing back to Sakura and Sasuke turned to her just as a gasp escaped her lips and she jerkily stumbled away from the railing.

The Uchiha was out of his seat instantly, catching her before she fell to the ground, "Sakura!"

The kunoichi breathed, her eyes wide, before they focused on Sasuke.

"Ow…" She muttered as she rubbed her shoulders before feeling along her uninjured collarbone, "That was…_strange_. I should have been more prepared for that."

"_Sakura-nee-chan, that was so cool!_" Souta yelled from above, _"You totally kick ass, even as a clone! That's the longest I've seen _any_ clone last against those things!"_

Sakura couldn't help but laugh, thanking Sasuke after being helped up.

"Well, that shared a lot about their fighting style," Sakura informed as she straightened her clothes, "Now, let's see how they _chase_."

"You're going back out there?" Sasuke asked incredulously.

Sakura nodded, already forming the required hand seals, "Yeah, why not? It's proving pretty effective, don't you think?"

"You were literally knocked off your feet just now," He pointed out, "_I'll_ send a clone out."

"You're too tired," The Medic reasoned as she shook her head, "I've seen you rubbing at your eyes; taming the Kyuubi took a lot out of you. It's okay, I can handle this."

Before Sasuke could protest, three Sakura-clones stood before him, each grinning reassuringly before they left for the containment room. Sakura re-took her place at the railing and Sasuke returned to his seat, but his eyes never strayed from her, even after the three clones took off deeper into the forest, even when she noted aloud that the majority of the _Corpses_ went after her clones while the rest stayed behind.

He wouldn't take his eyes off her, because a part of Sasuke feared what would happen if he looked away when her clones were inevitably snuffed out…

_12:22 AM_

Naruto sighed as he tossed his blanket away from him, his body feeling too hot and the cot beneath him feeling too uncomfortable for proper rest. Whenever he closed his eyes, he couldn't help but see himself in his untamed Kyuubi form, ready and willing to attack and kill anything and everything in his path – including his friends. When sleep was just seconds from taking him Naruto would awaken to pained and terrified screams, groans of agony, and whispers that fed him poison to his mind – lies about his friends, doubts about his strength, and promises of a Mission that would _fail_.

Blue eyes opened to stare up at the large lights covering the ceilings, slightly dimmed by Shin for his benefit to gain some rest. However, sleep was evading him and Naruto felt the need to be away from the trap that was four walls and go out into the freedom of open air.

"Uzumaki-san, are you alright?"

Naruto sat up and looked towards the spiral staircase; Shin stood there with a slightly concerned look on his face. Across the room, at the Viewing Deck, Akio and Dai sat together, pointing out things through the landscape window and jotting down notes on a large piece of parchment.

"I'm okay," Naruto answered, running a hand through his unkempt locks, "I just need some fresh air."

Naruto stood up and Shin frowned a little more, "Are you sure you should be standing and moving, Uzumaki-san? Akio made it sound like you went through a rough ordeal."

"I've been through worse," The blonde laughed good-naturedly, "Just a short walk; and I'll be sure to stay within the borders."

"Should I have one of the boys accompany you?" Shin offered, gesturing to Dai and Akio.

Naruto shook his head, "I'll only be ten minutes, no need to bother them."

Shin looked slightly reluctant, but nodded his head, digging into his pocket before producing a small whistle, tossing it to Naruto who fumbled to catch it, "Just in case you run into trouble out there. Don't hesitate to use it."

Naruto looked down at the silver object before he watched Shin turn and descend the steps, "Uh, sure, thanks!"

When Naruto finally stepped out into the cool evening air he breathed in deeply and felt a small weight lift from his shoulders. It felt nice to be away from the confines of a building, even away from the proximity of the _Pit_, where only large windows and hordes of dark _creatures_ stood.

Blue eyes looked up at the full, bright moon, and he smiled at the serenity it presented. The night seemed quiet; the dull drone of the _Corpses_ being carefully tuned out from his keen hearing, and Naruto began to walk, along the edge of the safety of the red-cotton-decorated posts, hands shoved in his pockets, enjoying his small moment of peace.

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**A/N:** So…Hey? Haha, yeah, _long_ time no see? Again, sorry for the long wait, _but_, you guys are getting _TWO CHAPTERS_! Consider it a Christmas Present? And a Please-Don't-Get-Mad-At-Me Present? Haha. Hope you guys enjoyed Part I of the Patrol Duty Arc – originally it was **one big chapter** – about _32 Pages Long_ and I didn't want you to suffer reading it all at once so I'm giving you an easy break, totally read the next chapter tomorrow or something, but it _would be super nice and a super awesome Christmas gift_ if you reviewed both chapters – since they're two different chapters and while this chapter is mild the next one is a little more intense…_But not as intense as FUTURE CHAPTERS, muahahaha, _but we'll wait until I get around to typing that on my Laptop and have it uploaded.

So I leave you with even more mystery – _especially_ Naruto's little Kyuubi breakdown – and another chapter to read. I hope you enjoy and _**please let me know what you think, thank you!**_

You guys are the _**BEST**_!

**Before you read the Next Chapter, Let Me Know What You Think Is Going To Happen Next!**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto and Company. Just the plot and Original Characters.

**You guys are the best, thank you so much for reading and reviewing and I hope to continue to scare and suspense you on the ride that is **_**The Curse**_**! This fourteenth chapter is dedicated to YOU!**

**

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**UPDATES TO LOOK OUT FOR:  
**_It All Started With – Chapter 17  
False Façade – Chapter 2  
Forbidden Bonds – Chapter 5  
Missing In Action - Chapter 2  
__His Eyes - Chapter 2_  
_The Road of Touch, The Road to Feel - Chapter 2_

I'm sorry I haven't been updating the above stories like I've wanted to, it's just my Muse has been focusing so much on _The Curse_ and I can't let that inspiration slip by, so please be patient with the other chapters of my stories, I _will_ get to them, as soon as I possibly can.

* * *

_**And**_! If anyone is confused about the Mapping of this story, I'd recommend checking out the World Map at (www . leafninja . com) Just take out the parentheses and spaces, it's where I get a lot of my _**Naruto Information**_! :)

**Oh!** One last thing! Anyone got a _**Twitter?**_ I made one for the sole purpose of making friends who have the same interests as me (Naruto, Inuyasha, Fullmetal Alchemist, Final Fantasy VII, Anime in general), let me know, I'm open to new friendships and whatever, up to you, just **PM** me or drop a **review! **Happy reading everyone!

**Oh!** And I plan on sending out some **Pokémon (AAML)**, **Fullmetal Alchemist (EdWin)**, and **Final Fantasy VII (CloudTifa)** Fictions too, so if you're FANS, please check them out! :)

**You Are All The Best! And Feel Free To PM Me About Recent Naruto Manga Chapters Too! Heehee!**

_**LotzaLove!  
Len83  
aka  
Luvinukag83**_


	15. Patrol Duty: Part II

**The Curse**

_**Chapter Fifteen: Patrol Duty (Part II)**_

_12:42 AM_

Naruto kicked a pebble across the ground, brows creased deeply in reflection. With his hands shoved into his pant pockets, clenching and unclenching into fists and royal blue eyes glaring down at the floor as he walked, the blonde couldn't help but let his calming peace dissolve into rising questions, doubts, and fears about the event that occurred in The Pit. He wondered about the danger he put everyone in because of his status as a Jinchuuriki, what this new information of their threat being attracted to his Demon-chakra could mean for him, his teammates, and the investigation.

Would it open doors? Or seal those doors shut?

Would he be offered as bait? Did he pose as a risk or even a weakness to any plans? Would he prove useless and utterly helpless to the case?

"Emi…?"

Naruto rubbed his aching forehead, frustrated that the occurrence in The Pit was still bothering him; still affecting him with a slight prickling in his senses, causing him to feel a light throbbing in his cranium, as if he kept hearing the guttural screams of agony, the menacing promises of his and his friends' demises, and those helpless, whispered voices crying for his help.

"Emi…Emi, where are you?"

Naruto scratched his head, even shaking it slightly – he was _still_ hearing the voices.

"Emi, _please_ come out!"

He stopped walking, allowing his hand to fall away from his blonde spikes before craning his head to hear the muffled plead better; to make sure it really _wasn't_ a figment of his imagination. He looked around, seeing nothing but the Tri-Point Forest's edge at his right, the distant lights of the Border Village at his left, and the Patrol Facility a good distance behind him – probably three hundred yards away. Ahead of him was a sloping hill he was only beginning to ascend and all that was in Naruto's apparent company were the occasional posts plastered with protective ofudas and its accompanying red ribbons of warning.

A soft sniffle, "…Emi, where have you _gone_?"

More curious and confused than ever, Naruto eagerly began to climb the slope of the hill, desiring to see what – or _who_ – waited on the other side.

The closer to the top Naruto neared, the lower he crouched and the quieter his steps became. By the time he was able to look beyond the obstruction of the hill towards the North where Earth Country Mountains lay he was on his hands and knees, his stare following the slope downward where a darkened figure was edging dangerously close to the protective barrier separating safety and the Tri-Point Forest.

"Emi! Come _out_!"

Naruto narrowed his eyes, trying to see through the darkness even with the full moon's bright luminosity. His heart thudded in his chest with a bothering uncertainty as he discerned a small figure – a child – with long, brown hair, pink-flushed skin, and tiny hands cupped over her mouth as she continued her desperate calls.

Was it an illusion? A trap? An invention of his own imagination?

But this little girl was _within_ the protective perimeter of the seals. She _had_ to be _real_, right?

"Emi!"

'_Who are you looking for…?'_

Naruto felt his whole body stiffen just as the sniffling girl whirled around in surprise, both searching for the origination of the sudden voice but finding no one.

"Wh-Who's there?" The young girl had now wrapped her arms around her body, hunching her shoulders uncertainly as her brown eyes darted around the seemingly empty area.

'…_Who are you looking for…?'_ The eerily familiar voice questioned again; light and curious though Naruto could detect faint amusement…_dark_ amusement.

"…M-My cat, E-Emi…" The young girl responded hesitantly, almost too quiet for Naruto to catch, "She r-ran off…I can't find her."

'…_Hmm…Is she white with light brown and black spots on her fur…?'_ The disembodied voice inquired.

The little girl brightened immediately, hopeful, "Y-Yes! Have you seen her? Who are you? Where are you?"

The light voice giggled in response, '_You may call me Amaya…I've seen your cat; come into the Forest, I'll take you to her…'_

Instantly, the little girl's defenses returned and she looked at the entrance of the dark foliage warily, "…I-I'm not supposed to go in there…"

'…_Don't you want to see your cat…Your Emi…?'_ The voice reasoned curiously; alluringly.

A cat's soft mewl followed the question and with the child's desperate need and burst of excitement with hearing her dear Emi within the darkness she immediately broke into a frenzied run towards it. Startled into action, Naruto sprang upward and sped down the slope of the hill towards the girl, arms outstretched.

"No! _Don't go in there_!"

In his minor vision, Naruto could see a white form rushing from the foliage towards the Tri-Point Forest's edge causing the blonde shinobi to push off with all the force and chakra he could muster, his fingers deftly grasping the young girl's woolen sweater, pulling what he could, causing the girl to stumble back into the protective barrier just as the _Little Girl_ came rushing into the open, feral mouth barred and eliciting a frightened scream from the fragile girl in Naruto's arms.

Naruto, who had fallen onto his rear, quickly scooted back for good measure, eyes never leaving the blood-and-flesh-thirsty gaze of the _Little Girl_ as she glared at the blonde and the brunette child now sobbing in his arms.

'_You've stolen my prey, demon_,' The _Little Girl_ snarled, black hair rising in her anger as she stood at the very edge of the protective limit, barrier already crackling by her mere presence, '_Give her to me!'_

"No way!" Naruto challenged, eyes narrowed as his hold on the girl tightened around her securely.

The _Little Girl_ looked down and seemed to connect gazes with the child in his arms, the girl stiffening with fear, '_…Don't you want Emi_?' She lifted her arm where a cat was gripped in her pale hand, '_Don't you want your kitty…?'_

Naruto felt the girl sob harder, muttering, "Please don't hurt Emi, _please_!"

The _Little Girl_'s lips formed a salacious smirk, '_Oh kitty…Poor kitty…'_

Naruto knew what was coming, disgusted and helpless as he quickly covered the child's eyes, watching in horror as the _Little Girl_ moved her free hand to the struggling creature's neck, ready to break it, white blood-stained teeth grinning with glee as a pained yowl filled the air, multiplied by the child's distraught and fearful sobs.

The yowling stopped and the kitten lay limp in the _Little Girl'_s hand. Her dark eyes connected with Naruto's, who glared at her with a malice he had not felt since facing Uchiha Madara. The ghost child was unaffected as she brought the kitten to her lips, intent to feed, and a fury rose within Naruto at her intentional actions.

Just as fur was about to touch pale lips, a bright light filled the night.

"Katon: Karyuudan no Jutsu!"

In the distance, several screams echoed.

_12:55 AM_

Heart pounding, calves burning, skin slick with sweat, and breaths coming out in quick gasps. Emerald eyes dart around uncertainly in the dark, muscles tense with every passing shadow, hands clench with the readiness to defend. She has been running for ages now, northeast, to check for her original where the _creatures_ seem to be coming from, but the night is too dark to find the way, and the foliage is becoming denser and more difficult to travel through.

And…_something_ is following her.

It is swifter than a _Corpse_; it neither groans nor moans but growls and howls; its steps are heavier than hers, its presence more suffocating and ominous than those of its lesser companions.

A hand grabs her ankle and she whirls around with a grunt, blue chakra encasing her foot as she kicks the crawling _Corpse_ away, only for it to be snapped up in a pair of pearly-white jaws. She seizes, watches the jaw snap and chew twice, mangling the cadaver beyond movement, blood and a dark, black substance dripping to the forest floor.

Heels spin, she runs. Even when its pounding feet and heavy breaths follow her, fear shoots full-force throughout her illusory body.

'_Give me your blood…'_

And so the _Creature_ makes her appearance also…

'_Give it to me…'_

Hands reach out – hands not her own – and grab for her, but she ducks and dodges and rolls away, breathing in gasps, eyes wide. More shadows are moving with her in the forest, large and intimidating. She breaks through a patch of low branches and stumbles into a large clearing. In the distance she finds some relief in the form of one of her other copies.

A scream fills the air and they recognize it as their own. Memories return and both flinch and shake with horrible realization; there goes their third. The first begins to call out but watches in wide-eyed horror as the second is taken up by a massive beast and its blood-thirsty jaws. It's a second scream and _poof_.

_Silence_.

'_GIVE. ME. YOUR. BLOOD!'_

She spins with fists raised; ready to defend, ready to attack, ready for anything…

She stares into wild eyes, blood stained cheeks, an opened mouth aiming for her neck…

She screams as hair tangles her in darkness, as a song fills the air, as laughter fills her ears…

And she '_poofs'_ away into oblivion as the outraged cry of the _Creature_ echoes in the night.

_12:37 AM_

Sasuke watched as Sakura absently rolled her shoulders and neck, right hand unconsciously trailing across her collarbone as if to make sure she had not sustained the injuries received by her very first clone's attack against it. He watched as she sighed for the umpteenth time that night before she turned her back on the glass windows and retook her seat beside him, her fatigue even more palpable with their closer proximity.

"…Are you tired?"

Her emerald eyes side-glanced him briefly, "…Are _you_?"

Her tone may have been weary but he could clearly hear the underlying amusement and challenge; he turned away with his arms crossed over his chest, "Hn."

Even though he couldn't see it, he could imagine the small smirk gracing her lips – she was picking up a lot of habits from Naruto.

"…Either my clones are _really_ good at running, or those _creatures_ are having _way_ too much fun chasing…" She muttered as her head fell back and she stared blankly at the ceiling, "It's been close to forty-five minutes now…"

"…Maybe they found something…" Sasuke offered – trying his hand at optimism.

"I would _hope_," She responded with a sigh, "But that just seems _too_ easy."

"Hn," The ex-Avenger grunted – which is why optimism was never his forte.

A short silence ensued – or as much a silence as soft whispers and unintelligible moans just outside the walls allowed.

"…I really hope Naruto is okay…" The Medic whispered guiltily.

"_I_ suggested the use of the Kyuubi," The Uchiha amended.

"And _I_ immediately agreed and pushed for its testing," Sakura countered wearily, placing a hand over her eyes, "I started _all_ those tests, even your eyes, Sasuke-kun."

"Don't worry about it," He replied, fighting the urge to roll those same eyes, "The Sharingan's use is inevitable."

"Inevitable but not innumerable," Sakura argued softly, "…You know I can't help but worry; _especially_ for you two."

Sasuke couldn't stop his snort of agreement.

"…When…" She stopped and took a breath, "…When you helped calm the Kyuubi…Did you notice anything?"

He could tell that she was completely reluctant asking the question given her obvious hesitancy; he could tell that she felt it was too soon to ask after the scare for Naruto's safety and his departure from their presence. However, Sasuke also recognized that she was doing her job too.

Sasuke shook his head in response, "It's just as the dobe said; there was a push and pull between the two chakras – his and theirs. I couldn't determine why or how it was happening; the Sharingan's ability was only able to separate them enough for Naruto to gain back his control."

Sakura was frowning thoughtfully, knees drawn up to her chest and arms wound tightly around them, "…Maybe it was simply a clash of auras. _They_ carry natural energy, according to Naruto…Maybe it didn't take too well to the closeness of a dark chakra source that the Kyuubi carries…Or maybe _they_ are just as dark and _crave_ for the energy the Kyuubi possesses. They were screaming _for_ Naruto…They were trying to break _in_ to get to him…"

Seeing the deeply worried look on Sakura's face Sasuke knew what she was thinking, "We'll just have to make sure the dobe doesn't get into a situation where he has to use the Nine-Tail's chakra…We'll be sure to keep an eye on him…"

"…Yeah…" She stood up, now wrapping her arms around herself in self-protection as she walked back to the railing along the window panes, "…You know, I've been thinking about what you said, Sasuke-kun…About my tendency to do whatever I can at the risk of myself – my health, my safety, my welfare – but…I could _never_ bear it if I risked you and Naruto again like I risked you both tonight."

"But you didn't–"

"I thought about what you said," She repeated in interruption; she turned and leaned heavily against the railing, slowly allowing her downcast eyes to raise and connect intensely with his, "…Do _you_ think I can do this?"

Sasuke remained silent, stunned speechless with surprise. He shouldn't have been because of their close relationship as teammates and friends, but Sakura _never_ asked for his opinion when it came to her skills and abilities. Perhaps it was a taboo of the past – his belittling of her in their youth; her goal to become stronger for _him_ – or the simple desire to grow on her own without the knowledge or need for his judgment of her. Sasuke was no stranger to complimenting her strength and aptitude in chakra control and intense healing, he defended her worth as a kunoichi from skeptics and doubters, and he blandly pointed out the truth of her power and intelligence when training for improvement or strategizing for difficult missions.

But now – _now_ she stared at him with a strange intensity; it was an intensity he recognized when she was trying to overcome an obstacle…to make those watching and supporting her proud. And asking _him_ directly was almost as if she were asking him for a bit of reassurance – something Uchiha Sasuke wasn't exactly the best at giving.

She stared at him with a knowing look – knowing _him_ – and how he was – plain, blunt, and _realistic_. She wanted the truth.

"I'm not just asking you because you're my teammate and friend, Sasuke-kun," She started quietly, shifting her gaze downward again, "Obviously Dai-san called me here because he believes I can somehow help and _do_ something. And Naruto is _always_ so _optimistic_ – though I'm not saying _you're_ pessimistic – but what I _am_ saying is that…you're _honest_. You'll be honest with me. You won't cushion anything just like you did before – in our previous talk…"

Sasuke remained silent and staring at her – a part of his mind internally arguing that he hadn't _meant_ to be brutally honest in their previous conversation; just…looking out for her; he dropped his gaze, "If I said I don't think you could solve it? What would you do?"

He could see her stiffen upon his words in his minor vision, sensed her shift in discomfort before breathing in deeply, "…It still wouldn't stop me…"

Sasuke looked back at her and slowly smirked, "Then why let opinions matter?"

Sakura opened her mouth, confused, "Wha–"

"You'll solve this mystery," He stated strongly before nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders, "_I_ believe you can. You're smart, you're skilled, and you're driven. Knowing my – or _anyone's_ – opinion shouldn't matter."

Sakura smiled, "But it does. _Your_ opinion matters."

He looked at her, brow raised in bemusement, "Why?"

He smile widened fractionally, "It just…_does_. It helps me to know that you believe in me."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "I'll always believe in you, Sakura."

'_Because you've always believed in me…'_ The Uchiha thought immediately after.

"I'm glad. Thank you, Sasuke-kun."

Slowly, unbidden, a smirk graced Sasuke's lips once more and he grunted in response. He closed his eyes and shook his head with amusement as her light – relieved – giggle filled the circular space.

"Annoying…" He muttered, although without malice – almost _affectionately_.

He was answered by her scream.

_1:00 AM_

The fire dragon that appeared from behind Naruto roared menacingly, its flaming body cackling, leaving the blonde in the wake of the fire's brief warmth, holding the child's body protectively in his arms as his royal blue eyes watched the attack strike the _Little Girl_ who released an ear-splitting scream of pain.

Naruto could see the kitten's body drop from her hands in an effort to raise them and protect herself from the light and heat of the fire dragon. Her dark eyes narrowed piercingly on something behind Naruto, the blonde watching entranced as the dragon shone brighter, whirling around the delicate-looking ghost girl as if to create a tornado of searing heat.

'_You cannot kill me…'_ She whispered; her lowered voice was filled with malevolence as it echoed around them, '_What you're doing is useless…'_

She was already completely covered by the roaring flames; Naruto watching as the towering tornado even surpassed the canopies of the Tri-Point Forest.

"_EMI_!" The child in his arms screamed, her arm outstretched towards the kitten's unmoving body which lay dangerously close to the foot of the tornado.

Thinking quickly, Naruto swept his left hand sideways, calling his Wind Element in an effort to retrieve the child's kitten. It rolled to the side; and with a final grunt Naruto swept his arm inward at a pull, relieved that the wind pushed the creature's body into the air and towards them. He caught the frail body with both hands before returning his arms securely around the child, protecting her from the heat and protecting her from watching the scene before them.

'_Weak,'_ The _Little Girl_ whispered as the tornado instantly dissipated; she stood unscathed with narrowed dark eyes before she took a single step forward – just past the protective barrier.

The seals along the nearby posts shone a bright blue in an effort to strengthen with her intruding presence; her foot pushed against the cackling blue energy of the shield while her right hand raised and fought to push through also. Naruto watched with wide eyes, heart pounding with the fear that she could _actually_ break through, when she suddenly stopped and pulled away.

'_Weak…'_ She repeated; though it was mostly to herself, '_…Pity.'_

Her dark eyes again regarded something behind Naruto before sweeping over him and the trembling girl in his arms. Then her head shifted to the south in the direction of the Patrolling Facility, a faint frown pulling at her lips.

'…_This is far from over…'_ She promised serenely as she turned back to them, her body beginning to fade away back into the darkness of the Tri-Point Forest, '_…Far from over…'_

And then she was gone.

Naruto was too stunned to move, especially with so much happening in the little time since discovering the little girl who was searching for her lost kitten. His royal blue eyes slid downwards to examine her for any injuries only to feel his heart lurch when he found her crying, hands hovering disbelievingly over the kitten's body cradled in his large hands.

"…Emi…?" She sniffled, tears rolling down her red-flushed cheeks, "…Emi?"

A shuffling of feet was heard behind him but Naruto paid no attention. His hands were trembling as he stared down at the scene, mind processing that the fragile creature in his upturned palms was no longer living and that the child who cared for it was shocked beyond reason to accept its unfortunate death.

"…Emi," She whispered again, "_Please_ wake up."

"Kasumi," A masculine voice acknowledged.

It was answered by a feminine, "Of course…"

More shuffling before someone gracefully knelt down beside him. He slowly transitioned his gaze to the newcomer and couldn't help but let his eyes widen in alarm. The woman looked almost like a ghost – she had pale white skin and little emotion on her strikingly sharp yet attractive features. The only thing that prevented him from jumping up to fight were her eyes – they too were sharp and narrowed, serious and almond-shaped, but the color was a clear, sky-blue, very bright as opposed to the dark black irises the _Creature_ and _Little Girl_ had. Her long lashes fluttered as she shifted her gaze to the young girl in his arms and she lifted a gentle hand to caress the kitten before carefully taking it into her own hands.

"Come child," She spoke – her voice was mellow; one hand stretched out as an offering, "Let's take Emi to the Village."

The little girl sniffled as she took the slender appendage, "…She's dead, isn't she?"

The older woman merely tightened her grip and patiently led the child away, "We'll be sure to give her a proper burial."

"…Okay…"

And the woman turned, her lilac kimono spinning under the moon's luminosity as her wavy, waist-length silver-blonde hair swayed like a curtain.

Naruto watched them go, a little detached from himself as he remained seated on the grassy floor, too tired and too overwhelmed to move.

"You okay there?"

A pair of legs walked into his line of vision, blocking off the scene of the older woman holding the young girl's hand as they left, effectively breaking him from his trance. Before Naruto had the chance to look up, the figure had crouched down to stare directly into his eyes.

"Hey," He tried again, waving his right hand in front of Naruto's face, "What's your name, kid?"

Immediately, Naruto frowned, picking himself up off the ground, "I'm _not_ a kid."

The man laughed, a soft yet deep-toned laugh, "Good to know that you can speak. Saw what you did earlier, pretty heroic of you."

Naruto glanced at the empty forest's edge, "…Well, I wasn't about to let that girl get killed."

"Suppose not," The man agreed seriously before stretching out his hand, "Which is why I want to thank you, for what you did. Enough deaths have already been caused; I'm glad that girl hasn't been added to the list."

Warily and still a bit uncertain, Naruto took his hand and the subsequent shake was firm, "Glad I could help."

The man smirked, a knowing look crossing his black eyes, "The help is certainly something to be grateful for. A pleasure to meet you, Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto blinked, "How–?"

"I know who _you_ are," He interrupted with a friendly smile, releasing Naruto's hand, "I was expecting your teammate, Haruno Sakura, but I suppose I _shouldn't_ be surprised that you'd be accompanying her here. I assume Uchiha Sasuke is here also?"

"Yeah, but…" Naruto started, still a little confused.

"Introductions, yes," The man remembered, running a hand through his short, white hair, "My name is Akiyama Raiden; though I'm not sure if Dai's mentioned me to you or not…?"

Naruto's eyes brightened in recognition, assessing the man before him with a more attentive gaze, "No, we've heard of you. Nice to finally meet you; and thanks – for earlier…"

Raiden sighed, beginning to dust off his pants before adjusting the twin blades on his back, "Unfortunately, I hardly made a dent on the _Little Girl_ and she seems to be getting stronger, given her attempt to break through the seals; I'll have to get the barriers reinforced. If someone had been scouting the perimeter this whole thing could have been prevented," He shook his head, "Sloppy work tonight."

On first impression, Naruto noticed that Akiyama Raiden was a skilled and serious shinobi, given the Mission of _The Curse_ that he was currently trying to solve. He and Shin looked the same age – about eight or nine years older than Team Kakashi – which gave him an air of authority and leadership usually present in older role models – like Hatake Kakashi. Although he carried himself tall and proud Naruto could tell that something was weighing heavily on Raiden's shoulders though he seemed an expert at hiding it.

Naruto easily picked it up because he too was familiar with putting up a façade of confidence and strength when things became the most difficult. When people looked up to him Naruto made sure that his behavior reflected hope and motivation to continue fighting and pushing forward. Raiden was a bit of a kindred soul in that sense.

"Back to the Patrolling Facility then?" Raiden asked in invitation, faint smile on his lips, "I am quite eager to meet the rest of Team Kakashi."

Naruto briefly flickered his gaze to the patch of burnt grass where the _Little Girl_ once stood before shifting it back to Raiden and nodding his head, "Yeah, let's go."

_1:00 AM_

The first scream had been one of surprise, heightened in volume by fear. Sasuke's eyes snapped open just in time to see Sakura fall to the floor, her back hitting the ground hard as she stared with wide eyes at the ceiling. He was out of his seat and by her side in an instant, watching with alarm as she gasped uncontrollably, memories from her clones returning to her in waves as her eyes glazed over, unfocused.

"Sakura!"

Suddenly, her back arched completely off the floor as a soundless shout left her gaping mouth, lasting mere seconds before her body fell heavily back to the floor. Again she was gasping; her eyes now shut tight by the tremendous influx of information given by her second clone's defeat. Sasuke quickly put his hands on her shoulders; trying to bring her senses back to The Pit rather than in the memories of her copies.

Her hands flew up, clutching at her throat, trying to rip away something that wasn't there as she whimpered, muttering about '_darkness_'.

"What's going on? What's happening?" Souta asked in a rush as he hurried down the spiral staircase, "I heard Sakura-san scream!"

Sasuke didn't pay him any attention, instead taking Sakura's hands into his, preventing her from digging her nails into her collarbone and providing her with another anchor back to her original body.

"Sakura, you need to _calm down_," The Uchiha stated lowly, gripping her hands tight when she struggled, "Those are _memories_. Come back to _now. _Come back to _my_ voice. Come back to _me_."

Her eyes flew open, but instead of landing with relief onto the dark irises that belonged to Uchiha Sasuke, her gaze slid directly past him, towards the window overlooking the Tri-Point Forest.

Souta yelped.

Sasuke turned his head to look behind him, heart thudding in surprise to the see _The Creature_ standing right against the window panes, her dark stare trained intently on Sakura. Narrowing his eyes, Sasuke shifted to block his pink-haired teammate from _The Creature_'s view and the result were instantaneous; those blood-shot dark eyes flew to lock with his, a murderous intent swirling within their depths.

'_Give me Haruno Sakura,'_ She hissed.

Sasuke turned his back on her, ignoring the loud shriek of outrage as he checked over his female teammate.

"Hey," He rubbed her hands and her eyes gradually slid towards him, "Are you okay?"

The Medic didn't answer verbally, just slowly nodded her head in affirmation.

Her forehead was slicked with sweat, eyes still glassy, but she wasn't shaking anymore and her gasps for breath had stopped; as if she hadn't been fighting for breath in the first place.

"…What's it doing?" Souta questioned, chocolate eyes trained on the window with bewilderment, "I've never seen her do that before…"

Sasuke followed his gaze, narrowing his eyes calculatingly as he watched _The Creature_ pace – or rather, _glide_ – along the windows, eyes never straying from Sakura while the _Corpses_ stood clear of her routine.

'_Your protection won't last forever, Haruno Sakura,'_ _The Creature_ whispered menacingly, _'I will have you.'_

"…What do you want with me?" Sakura whispered back – her deadened tone concerning Sasuke.

'_Your Blood,'_ Was the immediate response, _'Your Body, Your Chakra.'_

"Why?" Her eyes remained heavenward, refusing to acknowledge the _Creature_'s dark presence again.

'_To LIVE!'_ She hissed angrily in response, _'We want to LIVE. Give her to us!'_

"Why _me_?" Sakura retorted in a shout; sitting up and glaring at the dark silhouette, "Why _Haruno Sakura_?"

_The Creature_ only smiled; a creepy, blood-stained toothy smile.

Irritated, Sakura whirled her focus to Souta, "Has _she_ or the _Little Girl_ ever mentioned my name before I came here?"

Nervous for the anger being directed at him, Souta frowned, "N-No. I've never seen her put so much focus on only _one_ person before."

'_If you don't come,'_ _The Creature _started, _'We'll kill everyone. I'll eat that boy alive,'_ She grinned, referring to Souta, who shivered uncomfortably, _'And I'll kill your friends, Uzumaki Naruto…'_ Her eyes slid to connect with deep obsidian, _'And Uchiha Sasuke…'_

Sasuke scoffed, "Let's see you _try_."

_The Creature _laughed, deprecating, _'I'll show you how I'll do it…'_

While _The Creature_ stood just a foot from the window panes, shadowed hands shot from the tendrils of darkness surrounding her, swerving along the ground into the furthered darkness of the Tri-Point Forest. Wary, Sakura stood and narrowed her eyes to better see what _The Creature_ was up to, Sasuke sticking close by her side.

After several seconds the shadowed hands began to pull back into the light of the moon, but with it they clutched a lump of a figure, bringing it closer to the window to allow The Pit's occupants a better view.

'_Lonely soul was trespassing…'_ She explained darkly, finally moving away from the window to stand beside the lump; the dark hands roughly pushed it over and an agonized moan of pain followed.

Sakura seized with anxiety, "It's…"

_The Creature_ knelt down and grabbed a fistful of ebony hair, the moon's luminosity shining off a Stone Village hitae-ate. Blood covered every inch of him, his left leg was bent unnaturally, and half of his left cheek was missing.

"W-We have to save him!" Sakura panicked as she headed for the containment room, "We h-have to do someth–"

Sasuke caught her arm, preventing her from going any further, his expression clearly conveying his own torn judgment, yet his decision was made and absolute, "…We can't help him."

Sakura's eyes widened, "How can you say th–?"

"You go out there and _she'll_ get through," Sasuke replied fiercely, "We…_can't_ save him, Sakura. Even if it's the right thing to do…we just _can't_."

He could tell that she understood his logic; he could tell that she understood it was a trap. It was a cruel move and Sasuke and Sakura were just beginning to realize the kind of malicious game they were being thrown into.

Sakura's eyes slid to Souta and she rushed towards him, "Souta, close your eyes and _don't _watch."

His brown eyes shifted to her, disbelief filling him as he glanced back at _The Creature_ and watched her begin to pull the man's arms away from his body as if to forcefully tear off the limbs, "What's she doing? W-Why can't we _save_ him?"

Sakura quickly embraced the hysterical boy and covered his eyes, watching in horror as one arm was pulled from the socket, blood splattering haphazardly across the clearing, the Stone Shinobi's screams so loud and excruciating that Sakura clenched her own eyes shut while Sasuke shifted his gaze downward, cursing his inability to give the man a mercy killing – _some way_ to release him from the unimaginable pain.

"_PLEASE! SOMEBODY! AHHHH!"_

Sasuke flinched as his peripherals caught blood painting against the windows in a wide arc, the crimson liquid trickling down the glass, so thick that it slightly covered the torture of the screaming, young man.

"_Why_ is she _doing_ this?" Sakura muttered to herself, distraught, "How could _anybody do_ something like this?"

"_PLEASE!"_ The man cried out, clearly afraid and in immense pain, _"PLEASE!"_

_The Creature_ chuckled sadistically, _'Your blood and the blood of others will have to suffice…At least until I have _hers_.'_

Sasuke felt a fury overcome him. Sakura's same questions ran through his head. Why were they after Sakura specifically? Was it coincidence that she be called by Daisuke to help, only for the _creatures_ to lust for her blood? Or was it _all_ a trap?

Sakura lifted her head and opened her eyes, just in time to see the man give off his final scream of pain before his head was completely removed from his mutilated body. Her body trembled as she witnessed _The Creature_ examine the frozen expression of pain and fear on the man's face before she carelessly threw it atop the body, upon which the _Corpses_ swarmed in moaning delight for their meal.

'_I promise your friends will suffer worse…'_ _The Creature_ stated in her guttural voice, _'Much worse if you don't give us what we want…'_

"But why _me_?" Sakura whispered again, confused beyond anything.

The _Little Girl_'s laugh filled the clearing; though she failed to make an appearance, _'Why _not _you? Ha…Ha…Ha…'_

"So why not _me_?" Sasuke asked angrily; fed up with all the riddles and cryptic words.

'_Useless Uchiha…'_ The _Little Girl_ answered with a dark chuckle, _'You don't have what we want. Simple as that. Although…Naruto-kun seems quite appetizing…'_

"Don't you _dare_ go anywhere _near_ him!" Sakura shouted, rage and fear surging through her veins.

Another soft giggle as her final statement was drowned out by the _Corpses_ groans, _'…No promises…'_

In that moment, Sakura wanted to yell and scream and shout, her frustrations getting the best of her as she reluctantly watched the _Creature_ smirk darkly before disappearing into the shadows of the forest. Through the blood-smeared windows, the three occupants of The Pit watched as the _Corpses_ moved away from what remained of the Stone Shinobi –tattered clothes, red-stained dirt, pieces of bones, and a dully shining hitae-ate.

Wrapped in Sakura's arms, Souta shivered before he extracted himself, head bowed and a resigned sigh leaving his lips. His chocolate eyes flickered upward briefly to gaze at the red-tinted windows and the _Corpses_ that had returned to crowding around the panes of glass and then he shook his head and turned on his heels.

"Are we done…?" He asked softly, failing to meet Sakura's and Sasuke's eyes, "…Maybe we should head back to the Main Building now…"

Sasuke nodded his agreement, a large part of him no longer wanting to be in the presence of moaning, blood-thirsty cadavers, the agonized screams from the _Creature_'s victim echoing loudly and uncomfortably in his head. He shifted his eyes to regard Sakura, noticing the deep-set frown on her features and the way she held her arms to her chest in self-protection. Her brows were furrowed in an expression of fear, anger, disgust, incredulousness, and worry and her emerald irises wouldn't leave the spot the Stone Shinobi had once stood.

"…I could have saved him…" Sakura whispered to herself, "…He didn't deserve to die…"

"Sakura," Sasuke stated, soft yet still firm, wanting to break her from her trance.

It worked, her eyes darting to connect with his, her array of emotions still painted clearly on her face. The eye contact didn't last long as they reacted instinctively to the loud groan of the metal door opening, Souta grunting with effort, grin from hours prior now wiped clean from his young features.

Wordlessly, Sasuke and Sakura followed Souta through the exit, looking forward to the silence as the moans and hissing cut off with the door's resounding, closing _boom_.

_1:46 AM_

Sakura felt conflicted as she followed Souta back to the Main Building. Although it had been frightening to _hear_ Satsuma Yoshiro dying at the hands of the _creatures_, to _see_ it happen was another terror altogether. His limbs had popped off so easily at the will of _The Creature_ and to witness the blood splatter onto the glass windows in a gruesome picture of pain and torture left Sakura's heart pounding loudly in her ears as her blood rushed hotly throughout her body.

Even when the distant sounds of groans and whispers left her range of hearing, even with Sasuke's soothing and reassuring presence at her side, Sakura couldn't get the images and memories of her clones' adventures through the forest out of her mind. They replayed over and over again – forms, figures, silhouettes shrouded by the shadows and illuminated by dim moonlight left Sakura fearing the future and the adversaries she and her teammates had yet to face.

Her fingers trembled and she clenched them in an effort to keep them steady – though the force of her fisting caused her nails to dig painfully into her skin. Yet the pain kept her grounded, the pain allowed her a rooting in the reality and security of being where she was – more so than the silence and Sasuke's presence.

And that fact terrified her.

The final door opened and Souta, Sakura, and Sasuke stepped through into the massive space of the Patrolling Facility. The Medic moved robotically, blinking across the expanse, searching for a place of solitude so she could collect her thoughts – she didn't want to be around _anyone_. She needed silence and she _needed_ to pull herself together.

"Sakura-chan! Sasuke-teme!"

Instinctively, Sakura's gaze flitted to the source of her name's call, settling her sights on Naruto who was in the Rest Area, seated on one of the cots and waving in greeting.

She noticed several people crowding around the Rest Area, including figures she didn't recognize. Dai and an older male with shoulder-length white hair were seriously discussing something as they leaned against the red railing. Shin and Akio were seated near Naruto, all three talking with another male who had shaggy, dirty blonde hair that fell to the middle of his neck, his white grin a contrast to everyone else's serious countenances.

Souta's expression lightened fractionally, "Raiden-nii-san and Isamu-san are back," His head darted around searchingly, "Where's Kasumi-nee-chan though?" He shrugged when he couldn't seem to find the subject of his soft-spoken query before taking Sakura's hand into his and eagerly pulling her along, "Come on Sakura-san, Sasuke-san, let me introduce you!"

Sakura and Sasuke shared a momentary glance – both a little too drained from the events before to meet additional people but reluctantly obliging.

_6:27 AM_

A tired sigh echoed in the enclosed space as the morning's lightening skies allowed the grey weather to filter light through the landscape windows. Its gloominess was foreboding and worrying, especially as slender hands moved to pick up the scrolls and notes that had been poured over and perused throughout the majority of the night. Lips were pulled downward in a frown of internal struggle and debate, tired eyes briefly flickering to the momentary brightness of sunlight that fell onto the white cards lined up on the Inventory Scroll, smeared with various dark substances, each marked with observations and notes of its origins and theories.

The casted ray of sunlight faded away and her frown deepened with apprehension. Absently, she smoothed down a report, hazel eyes taking in the familiar scrawled writing of her former apprentice, her heart pounding with uncertainty and underlying fear for her former pupil and her teammates. Those same, drawn eyes jumped to a more crumpled report, also covered by the familiar writing of a shinobi she greatly admired and appreciated.

Fingers deftly and helplessly thumbed through the stack of reports and observations brought to her by Katsuyu. It was a lot of information, though she expected nothing less from a kunoichi as meticulous as Haruno Sakura.

A sudden gust of wind flew across the cluttered office and three simultaneous _taps_ against the floor was enough signal for hazel eyes to glance up and acknowledge the newcomers' arrivals. Her hand released the stack of reports and fingers curled together under her chin, expression serious as she stared intensely at the three silhouettes before her.

"Hokage-sama," One figure greeted seriously, lone eye dark with apprehension – although known for being tardy to meetings, Hatake Kakashi knew when some gatherings were too important to keep waiting, _especially_ when summoned during the early hours of morning.

"Kakashi," Tsunade responded before sweeping her eyes to the other two figures of the room – confusion crossed one's pale and delicate features while curiosity covered the other's normally blank expression, "Hyuuga Hinata and Sai…I've called you all here to undertake a new mission…"

Kakashi's, Hinata's and Sai's backs straightened. Their expressions were multiplied. Kakashi became even more grim with the hardening of the Hokage's tone; Hinata became more baffled with her out-of-place assignment as a comrade to the two men beside her; and Sai's expression took on a more calculating look.

"Team Seven – consisting of Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto – had been labeled as _MIA_," Tsunade watched as Kakashi, Hinata, and Sai stiffened upon the news, "A false Mission Assignment was sent to Sakura – the decoy was a basic observation and healing of a patient in Rain Country for mental instability when in fact it was a quick and convenient way for a boy named Makoto Daisuke to call Sakura for her help on a problem currently plaguing the Tri-Point Forest of Earth, Rain, and Bird Countries," She looked away from the three to pick up the stack of papers and straighten them, "I have been informed by the Tsuchikage that when Naruto and Sasuke heard the news they rushed to her aid – apparently Naruto and Sasuke had the Tsuchikage hire them to a Mission to rescue Sakura and find out what's been going on," She smirked lightly before raising her hazel eyes to regard their intently listening forms, "Just yesterday – through Katsuyu – Sakura had sent me her Mission Report and all information she has already obtained during her brief stay there. I read it all throughout the night and what has been discovered by Team Seven is quite…disturbing…"

"Disturbing?" Kakashi echoed, confused, curious and concerned.

"Sakura's reports say that what is plaguing the Tri-Point Forest and is causing the numerous disappearances and deaths…is a _Curse_. At least by explanation of Makoto Daisuke," Tsunade responded, "Living Dead. Ghosts. Supernatural."

"…And Sakura _believes_ this?" Kakashi questioned.

Tsunade picked up a particular sheet of parchment and began to read from it, verbatim, "She wrote, _'Shishou, I've never once before encountered a _Curse_, nor do I believe its existence. But the things I've seen, even after just _one_ night has left me feeling a fear I've never once truly experienced. It's a fear of not knowing what it is we're dealing with, not understanding this new adversary and its weaknesses and – most of all – its potential danger. Despite the danger this poses, my lack of preparation and the fact that I am not obliged to take on this assignment because of the circumstances, I _am_ staying to uncover this mystery. I _need_ to know what's going on and I _need_ to help stop this, for the sake everyone's safety and the new threat that it poses…_" Tsunade placed the paper back on her desk and sighed, "It goes on to say that Sasuke and Naruto were going to remain with her – not that _that_'s surprising – and that she requests back-up to be sent – particularly Nara Shikamaru and Hyuuga Neji for their respective strategic intelligence and bloodline limits."

Tsunade sighed again, shifting through several scrolls before picking one up beside an opened Sake Bottle and scanning its contents, "Unfortunately, Hyuuga Neji is in Water Country and Nara Shikamaru is in Lightning, both assigned to A-Ranked Missions that require a week's time or more. I _could_ call them back to disregard their other missions but time is of the essence and even if they did return in record time they would still need time to study up on Sakura's reports. Because _you three_ are already here, I will be assigning _you_ to this task."

"Of course, Hokage-sama," The three replied simultaneously, determination shining bright in their eyes.

"You will have all of today to read through and retain _all_ that Sakura has sent in her reports," Tsunade continued as she gathered the after-mentioned papers together, "When you are ready you will leave for Earth Country where you will meet with Tsuchikage-sama and gather any more vital information that can help with this case. The journey will take close to a week so during that travel time I want you to be discussing any theories to relay to Sakura and her team. _After_ you meet with the Tsuchikage you will convene with Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto at the Bird Country Village – a Village, her report says, Makoto Daisuke would be taking them. You will go _around_ the Tri-Point Forest, _not through it_. It may take _longer_ but it's the _safer_ route, especially since this threat is still an unknown. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama," The three responded concurrently, once again.

Tsunade rubbed her temples, "_I_ for one, do _not_ believe in _Curses_. But if what Sakura says is _true_ and if _she_ really believes a _Curse_ is the problem after all she's seen…Then we're going to have to trust her and her judgment. _Never_ have we encountered a problem like this before, so I want you three to _be careful_. I will send word to Sakura of our plans. Radio contact or Summons contact will have to commence between your two teams, and we'll also have a research team _here_ to work on the evidence Sakura has sent back…" Tsunade's frown deepened, "If this problem goes on far longer than we want, I will send more reinforcements – though I hope two teams will be adequate."

"…Who will be leading the Research Team?" Sai inquired, "Will they be able to send their findings to us and to Sakura's team?"

"Yes, we'll either send the information by Hawk Communication or Katsuyu," Tsunade nodded, "As for the shinobi _leading_ the team–"

A knock sounded at the door, interrupting Tsunade, but she took it in stride and called the newcomer in.

Kakashi, Hinata, and Sai turned to see the door open and a confident form walk into the room, irritated but silent as the proud figure took a stand beside Sai and shot the team of three a singularly-raised-brow-look before returning attention to the woman seated at her desk.

"You called for me, Hokage-sama?"

Tsunade nodded, hazel eyes piercing and observant, "…Haruno Sakura has requested your specific assistance."

Spectacles pushed up the bridge of a slender nose, right hand resting on a slim waist, left hip jutted out in a stance of complete nonchalance, yet crimson eyes were sharpened with calculation.

"What does she want?"

"Your skill in chakra tracking and analysis."

The young woman frowned contemptuously in response. She and Haruno Sakura were far from _close_. In fact, they had been labeled _rivals_ early on in their camaraderie considering their joint love for a certain Uchiha Avenger.

Though, she knew she had lost the battle for his affection _years_ ago as she observed Uchiha Sasuke's expressions soften with every prolonged stare directed at the pink-haired kunoichi. The bitterness of her defeat had died away with time – buried but not forgotten – and she could not deny her growing respect for Haruno Sakura. Although their interactions were limited they were civil and she would not forget their first meeting, as the talented Medic had healed her from death through tears of anguish and despair.

The woman straightened, staring the Hokage straight through the eyes, determined, "I'll do it. When do I start?"

Tsunade smirked, gesturing to the Inventory Scroll that was laid out on her desk, "You'll begin immediately. Thank you, Karin."

The red-head smirked as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. It was time for the label of _rivals_ to dissolve into that of _comrades_. If Haruno Sakura– the girl who saved her _life_ – needed her help, then Karin was going to give it.

'_I won't let you down, Haruno.'_

_

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_

**A/N:** Alright, so I _KNOW_ a lot of you wanted Shikamaru and Neji to join in on the fun, exciting mystery of _The Curse_, but I _REALLY_ wanted to keep this Fiction _TEAM SEVEN_. I want it to center on _their_ struggle and the experiences _they_ would endure to handle and solve the problem, as opposed to having a high IQ GENIUS and a Byakugan Prodigy to make everything _so much easier_. There's no _fun_ in _easy_. Who knows, maybe I'll stick Shikamaru and his team or Neji and his team in a **Horror Story**of their own, yay or nay? **AND** _who saw __**Karin**__ of __**all**__ people coming into the picture_? Did I _surprise _you? Kudos to you if you did figure it out! It's not a _big_ part. Scenes at Konoha and even Team Kakashi, Sai, and Hinata will be _snippets_ yet still _essential_ to the story.

So guys, tell me what you all think so far on the story. I know the **Horror aspects** aren't as **Horrific** as the _first night_ Sakura encountered them, but _don't worry_, I **promise you** it's going to get _downright scary and terrifying as we progress through the story _(at least I _hope_ I'll have you feeling that way in the future). I mean, I think we're only a third through so we have plenty of time for me to scare you beyond sleeping. Hopefully I keep you wide-awake at night, fearing the things that go bump in the night. If not…Well, we're just getting started, muahahahaha.

:)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto and Company. I only own the plot and Original Characters.

**Next Update:** Maybe the week after _New Years_. By the way, _Happy Holidays_ to everyone!

_**Review Shout-Outs and Original Character Biographies will be in Next Chapter's Author's Note!**_

**AND!** _Please_ _Check Out_ my **Crack Fiction**, _My Prince_, my **Dramatic Fiction**, _ReAnimated Closure_, and _**keep an eye out for my **_**Multi-Chapter Fictions **– _His Eyes; Vengeance; False Façade; The Road of Touch, The Road to Feel; Missing In Action; Forbidden Bonds; _and _It All Started With_.

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**New One-Shots To Debut! **_**(Which would you like to see Published First?)**_

**Title:** _Tainted  
_**Summary:** _She was still the same person…There was just more to her than they initially realized.  
_**Pairing: **_Team7ness, __Sasuke/Sakura  
_**Rating:** M_  
_**Themes:** Angst/Drama/Romance/Mature  
**Excerpt:  
**"Please…just don't look at me like that…Don't pity me. And _please_…don't be _ashamed_."  
"Sakura-chan…"

**Title:** _Terrified  
_**Summary:** _Unlike the first time, her confession left Uchiha Sasuke feeling – not annoyed or apathetic or disdainful, but feeling rather – terrified.  
_**Pairing: **_Sasuke/Sakura  
_**Rating:** T_  
_**Themes:** Angst/Drama/Romance  
**Excerpt: **  
"…I'm in love with you Sasuke-kun."  
"Sakura…Why are you telling me–"  
"I…I just had to get that off my chest…Don't worry Sasuke-kun, I'm not expecting anything from you in return…I just…_had _to tell you."  
"…But _why_?"  
"…No regrets…"

**AND! Look out for a Series of One-Shots to Debut!**

_**Teamwork:**_ _Because everyone has a unique definition for 'Team Dynamic.' How Missions are achieved with comrades you hardly know…_  
**Style:** Series of One-Shots  
**Pairings:** minor SasukexSakura, NarutoxHinata, NejixTenten, ShikamaruxIno  
**Genre:** Humor/Action/Adventure/Drama/Romance  
**Rating:** K  
**  
Excerpt:  
****Mission One:** _Their first mission as Team Kakashi again. It's going to take some time to find that dynamic again, but they're willing to try –_  
"What the _hell_? Naruto, watch where you're throwing those kunai!"  
"Sorry, Sakura-chan! Teme! Get out of my _way_!"  
"Hn."

**Mission Ten:** _When knucklehead shinobi are thrown together for a stealth mission –  
_"Kiba…Were you just howling at the moon?"  
"Shut up, Naruto, that wasn't _me_!"  
"You guys are morons."  
"Who you calling _moron_, you water-morphing-freak!"  
"That's Suigetsu-_sama_ to _you_ mongrel!"  
"Ack! They heard us! RUN!"

**Mission Sixteen:** _When an all-girl unit needs to pull off a Seduction Assignment –  
_"Forehead, does this dress make me look fat?"  
"More than usual."  
"I didn't ask _you_, Four-Eyes!"  
"Kami-sama, I had to be stuck with the Pig _and_ Karin for this…?"  
"What was that, Pinky!"

**Mission Twenty-Two: **_When prodigies and geniuses are thrown into a mix –  
_"…"  
"…Hn."  
"Troublesome."  
"Annoying."

**Mission Thirty:** _Love Triangles –  
_"I don't see why Hokage-sama had to hire a _Sand Shinobi_, Sakura could have easily done _her_ job."  
"She's a Strategist, Ino, and Sakura's busy at the Hospital. What a drag…"  
"What? Threatened, Blondie?"  
"Why _you_–!"

**Mission Three:** _Love…Pentagons? –  
_"This is overkill…We don't need this many people on _one_ mission. Especially _them_."  
"Naruto, stop sulking."  
"But Sakura-chan! _They_ are his…_other_ team."  
"_Drop it, Naruto_."  
"F-Fine. But I'm sleeping with _you_ tonight!"  
"Hn. No, you're not."  
"Sasuke-kun! You can sleep with _me_ tonight!"  
"Could you _get_ any louder, Cow?"  
"Shut _up_, Suigetsu!"  
"Hn. I'm not."  
"Sasuke-kun!"

**Mission Four:** _And even if it's just the chaos of regular comrades –  
_"We shall burn and prevail with the Fire of YOUTH!"  
"YOSH, Gai-sensei!"  
"LEE!"  
"GAI-SENSEI!"  
"LEE!"  
"Oh, will you please _shut up_!"  
"Hn."

**Hope you like the Previews! Tell me what you think and what you would like to see Updated or Published Next!**

**

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**

**You guys are the best, thank you so much for reading and reviewing and I hope to continue to scare and suspense you on the ride that is **_**The Curse**_**! This fifteenth chapter is dedicated to YOU!**

**UPDATES TO LOOK OUT FOR:  
**_It All Started With – Chapter 17  
False Façade – Chapter 2  
Forbidden Bonds – Chapter 5  
Missing In Action - Chapter 2  
His Eyes - Chapter 2  
The Road of Touch, The Road to Feel - Chapter 2_

I'm sorry I haven't been updating the above stories like I've wanted to, it's just my Muse has been focusing so much on _The Curse_ and I can't let that inspiration slip by, so please be patient with the other chapters of my stories, I _will_ get to them, as soon as I possibly can.

* * *

_**And**_! If anyone is confused about the Mapping of this story, I'd recommend checking out the World Map at (www . leafninja . com) Just take out the parentheses and spaces, it's where I get a lot of my _**Naruto Information**_! :)

**Oh!** One last thing! Anyone got a _**Twitter?**_ I made one for the sole purpose of making friends who have the same interests as me (Naruto, Inuyasha, Fullmetal Alchemist, Final Fantasy VII, Anime in general), let me know, I'm open to new friendships and whatever, up to you, just **PM** me or drop a **review! **Happy reading everyone!

**Oh!** And I plan on sending out some **Pokémon (AAML)**, **Fullmetal Alchemist (EdWin)**, and **Final Fantasy VII (CloudTifa)** Fictions too, so if you're FANS, please check them out! :)

**You Are All The Best! And Feel Free To PM Me About Recent Naruto Manga Chapters Too! Heehee!**

_**LotzaLove!  
Len83  
aka  
Luvinukag83**_


	16. Defense

**The Curse**

_**Chapter Sixteen: Defense**_

Pain was the only thing that registered in Sasuke's clouded mind, shooting agonizingly through his body like the deadly electric current he was so keen on using during battle. The uncomfortable dampness of crimson blood was soaking into his shirt and heavy cloak, seeping alarmingly fast from the gaping wound in his abdomen. That same thick liquid was clogging his throat, trickling past his pale lips and trailing across bruised skin.

He was dying. Uchiha Sasuke was dying.

Strangely, the thought didn't bother the Avenger. His muscles were unwinding, the injury was becoming a dull throb to his senses, and his eyesight was steadily darkening with unconsciousness.

It felt nice – to let go, to not worry about who to kill, to not think about sacrifices made by older brothers, betrayals made by a Village he once called home, the extinction of his entire Clan, and a brutal war that he helped instigate. He could now close his eyes – eyes that didn't even belong to him – and pass on with the ironic thought that it was Uzumaki Naruto who had brought him to his demise – after vicious exchanges of fists, feet, and Ninjutsu – it was Uzumaki Naruto who dealt the final, fatal blow of a spinning Rasengan to a careless opening.

His tightened fist relaxed and he blinked his hazy vision, seeing nothing but blurred shapes in shaded colors. His hearing was also muffled, but a familiar sound was pulling him back into focus – even through the deafening noises brought about by Naruto's and Uchiha Madara's continued, destructive battle.

"…suke…Sas…ke…Sasuke! Stay with me, damn it!"

The Uchiha blinked slowly, vision slightly focusing to see disfigured outlines of pink and green above him. He blinked again, trying to clear the haziness in his view, flinching as an unexpected yet gentle contact pressed near his abdominal wound.

Muttering followed, feminine and angry, but mainly concerned.

"Stupid Naruto, what was he_ thinking_? He said he was going to _immobilize _you, not put you on the brink of _death_!"

Warmth began to seep into Sasuke's wound, yet despite the caution of the healer, the pain and discomfort of his skin knitting back together was not lost and a soft groan left his lips.

"Hang in there, Sasuke," The faint voice urged, nimble fingers gently caressing his sweat-slicked forehead.

After several minutes, Sasuke could feel himself gaining sharper awareness, his vision clearing and allowing him to blink up at Haruno Sakura as she silently yet efficiently poured glowing, green chakra into his recovering injury.

Although his mind was sluggish, when realization hit Sasuke, he directed a fierce glare at the Hidden Leaf kunoichi crouched beside him. If he had chakra, his Sharingan would have undoubtedly begun spinning.

"Leave," Sasuke rasped around the blood in his mouth, pure anger and hatred laced with his single, spoken word.

The young woman's emerald eyes briefly flickered his way before returning her complete attention to his bleeding wound, pink hair swaying with the determined shake of her head.

"No, Sasuke. If I do, you'll die."

"_Leave_," The Uchiha repeated forcefully – stronger – straining to lift his arm to swat her hands away from him, irritated when he found that he couldn't.

"…I've paralyzed your body," Sakura explained upon his frustrated confusion; she looked at him again, her entire expression serious, "It's for your own good."

"What would _you_ know?" Sasuke spat – _hissed_ – beyond angry; enraged that he was still alive, furious that the feelings of treachery and hurt and sadness were returning to the forefront of his mind, irritated that he was helpless to the whims of the woman above him, and annoyed with the soft, compassionate look that she was directing at him, "_You_ don't know _anything_! _Nothing_ _at all_!"

She stared at him then, her hands still glowing green, flickering with her momentary lapse in concentration, yet her irises had darkened – _dulled_ even – before her brows furrowed with internal pain and struggle, a sad smile stretching across her lips, "Is it really _my_ fault that I know nothing, Sasuke? I'm not ignorant because I _choose_ to be and I don't desire to _not_ understand your pain. What I _do_ know is that you're suffering…And what I _want_ _you_ to know…Is that despite my unawareness of what's causing your pain, I _still_ want to help you. We – Naruto and I – _care _about you." She turned away, blinking away wetness against her eyes that baffled Sasuke – _why_ would _she_ be crying? – and finished her healing of his injury, "So yes, I _don't_ know anything. I know _nothing_ and I don't _understand_. But I _do_ care about you, Sasuke. I just…I just hope you can accept _that_ at least…"

Sasuke wanted to retort. He wanted to sit up, push her away and leave – just _run_ and never look back at her and her pained expressions. Her words left him mute as he watched her quickly swipe away stray tears while she examined his sore abdomen. What was there to say? She was…right. Although she knew nothing she still chased after him – her _and_ Naruto. Did he ever stop to consider how much he really meant to his former teammates? Did he ever consider how much his abandonment and defection had affected_ them_ as much as Itachi had once done to _him_…?

His head was beginning to hurt with the tumult of thoughts now bombarding him, his eyes also beginning to throb with the emotions that were beginning to overwhelm him. He needed control. He needed to remember his initial mission – to destroy Konoha, to avenge Itachi, to kill anyone who had wronged him and his Clan.

An agonized scream yards away snapped the Uchiha from his thoughts, watching from his paralyzed position as Sakura's head whipped around, her glassy, emerald eyes fearfully darting about before she sucked in a sharp breath.

"Naruto…" She whispered, struggling to stand up, even with the drain of chakra used in her effort to heal him. She looked back at him, reluctance painted on her worn and weary features before she curled her hand into a tight fist, "…I'll be back."

And Sakura took off, running into the fray of battle, leaving Sasuke immobilized and alone as he stared at the grey clouds above and heard the distant sounds of wounded cries, strained grunts, and the demolition of his surroundings.

As Sasuke laid there, his body numb to his own use, he couldn't help but _think_. Was this what Itachi had wanted of him? For more destruction and a shattered peace that he had worked so hard to prevent? Was his revenge misguided and warped by the sadness and anger revealed by the truth of his brother's sacrifice?

"I'd die before you take everything precious away from me," Naruto's deep vice growled loudly with vindication, "I'm going to protect my Village, my _home_, and all my friends…including Sasuke – _especially_ Sasuke. He's not yours to manipulate anymore!"

"…Pitiful," Madara responded with mock, "All you Konoha shinobi are _weak_. No self-preservation at all. Just misguided beliefs of protecting people you _love_. _Useless_."

A fury built up within Sasuke upon those words. Itachi was _not_ pitiful – far from it!

"It's _you_ that's weak…" Sakura whispered angrily; her voice barely audible from the distance.

Madara laughed, condescending and amused, "Are you really so ready and willing to die, kunoichi? You've exhausted your chakra with all the healing you've performed – an impressive feat yet _stupid_ action. You stand tall beside your companion hoping to defeat me but you and I both know that _you_ are the burden. _You_ are the weak one here. You'll die if you continue to confront me."

"Don't listen to him, Sakura-chan, you're _not_ weak," Naruto assured strongly, "_Not weak at all_!"

Madara laughed again, still amused, "Let's put it to the test then. Your mentality first. Mangekyou Sharingan!"

It may have only been a few seconds but Sasuke could hear Sakura collapse with a cry, Naruto's worried call of her name echoing in the air, her pained whimpers drowned out by hasty footsteps that rushed for her.

"Sakura-chan!"

"Strong mind, that one," Madara observed, "Strong will too. But you have a glaring weakness, kunoichi. You are reckless, just like the Jinchuuriki. You both have the pointless and irritating will to never give up; you're both too emotionally driven," He laughed, "But _you_, kunoichi…_You_ don't have the strength to carry through. So many insecurities. So many things to prove. So many ways for you to be exploited._ Weak_."

"Shut up!" Naruto snarled, although his tone turned worried and had softened, "…Sakura-chan, you shouldn't move."

"I'm…okay, Naruto," She answered, though her soft response betrayed the verbal reassurance.

"You're an annoying duo," Madara scoffed; however, Sasuke could hear the smirk in his voice as the older male continued, "And I know a quick way to remove one of you from the equation."

Everything happened quicker than his mind could process. The sound of metal cutting through air, the slide of footwear against stone, the desperate and fearful shout from Naruto, and a heavy weight falling against his unmoving body.

"Sakura-chan!"

Sasuke stared, eyes wide at the mop of pink hair obscuring his vision, onyx irises never straying from the long, silver blade protruding from her back. She coughed into his neck, warm liquid hitting his skin, and he could only lie there in stunned surprise.

"Just as I suspected," Madara stated, patronizing, "She'd risk her life, even for a _traitor_ to her Village. What stupidity. Don't you see, Sasuke? _Weak_."

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto cried, running towards them, only to be intercepted by Madara, "You _bastard_!"

"Now," Madara responded smoothly, "To continue our battle."

The sound of Naruto's outraged, murderous shouts were multiplied by his Shadow Clone Ninjutsu, steadily moving away from Sasuke and Sakura as he engaged Madara once more into an unrelenting, fierce battle. Sasuke, however, couldn't pay attention. Sakura's shallow gasps were thunderous to his ears, lying on the cold ground, waiting with his own bated breaths for her next one to pass through.

She – Haruno Sakura – had saved his life at the risk of her own. She had…_sacrificed_ herself to see him safe.

"_Why_?" Sasuke hissed unknowingly, anger and confusion and disbelief coloring his question.

Familiar warmth filled his veins, his mind absently registering a weight against his shoulder; her voice soft as she answered, "…Because I still care about you, Sasuke-kun. I will…_always_ care about you…"

"…But _why_?" Sasuke repeated, anger fading, confusion growing – how could she _care_ about him, after _everything_ he had _done_?

She whimpered as she shifted, bringing the long blade away from his view, replaced by her tired, green eyes, and weak-smiled expression, "…Because I've known you, because I grew up with you, because you've protected me…Because at one point in your life…I _know_ you cared about me and Naruto too…"

Again she shifted, lifting the hand resting on his shoulder to touch his cheek. Sasuke was surprised that his body reacted to the gentle touch – his hand had curled out of reflex and had almost lifted to take her hand into his own. She had removed his paralysis.

"I'm not entirely ignorant," Sakura whispered, closing her eyes, "…I know what happened to your family, Sasuke-kun…I know what happened to Itachi…"

His brows furrowed at the mention of his family and older brother, fingers clenching even tighter.

"But…not everyone in Konoha is at fault for what happened…" She continued, "Not everyone wants to hurt you or see you suffer. Especially not Naruto…And Kakashi-sensei…And _me_. Just know that…_Please_ know that…" Another explosion sounded followed by Naruto's pained cry and she winced visibly, opening her eyes to connect with bottomless obsidian, "So please…Help Naruto…_Please_…Come back…"

Her eyes closed and her body went lax against his.

Sasuke didn't move for the longest time – and when he did, it was to lift his hand and cradle Sakura's head against his shoulder. He listened intently to her thin breaths until the sound of footwear hitting the ground just a meter away from him alerted him to a new presence.

"Hey, what are you lying around for?"

The form walked closer, hands already outstretched to remove Sakura's body from him when Sasuke allowed himself to glare heatedly into amethyst irises.

"Don't touch her," He commanded darkly, slowly sitting his sore body up yet still being mindful of the woman in his arms and the blade still protruding from her back.

"Why?" Suigetsu grinned, crossing his arms over his chest, "What's she to you?"

Sasuke didn't answer, his dark eyes instead scanning the area to see Naruto's and Madara's fight had moved even farther, the blonde's chakra fluctuating with the Kyuubi's power.

"Are you going to head back into battle?" The sharp-toothed male asked, "Do you want Juugo and me to back you and Madara up or do you just want us to deal with the Leaf Ninja?"

"…No," Sasuke finally answered after a short, contemplative silence. He stood, eyes cast on Sakura before he reluctantly removed the blade from her back, quickly staunching the wound with his torn cloak. His eyes narrowed before meeting Suigetsu's confused stare, "Change of plans. We are not to attack the Leaf…Madara is the enemy."

The pale-haired Missing Ninja's eyes widened, "Wait, _what_?"

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, wrapping the woman tightly in dark-clothed warmth before reluctantly handing her to his companion; he fixed him with a steady, warning stare, "Leaf is not the enemy; you will tell Juugo this."

"And _her_?" Suigetsu asked, bewildered as he stared at the woman in his arms.

Sasuke followed his gaze, his chest pulling at the sight of her blood-covered features, "…Take her to a safe place…And _keep_ her safe. _No_ harm will come to her."

Still baffled, Suigetsu stared at the Uchiha, "…And what are _you_ going to do?"

The Uchiha remained silent, picking up his wayward Kusanagi before shifting his gaze to the battle still occurring yards away, his eyes slowly bleeding red and his fingers clenching tightly around the hilt of his weapon, "…I'm doing what I should have done a long time ago…"

Before Suigetsu could further question, Sasuke was already running into the destruction of two powerful forces, his shining blade arching in the air to catch the steel meant for Naruto's flesh, taking in the furious expression of Uchiha Madara and the astonished yet hopeful, happy grin of Uzumaki Naruto.

'_Now I know where I belong…'_

* * *

Sasuke blinked and the vivid memory began to fade away with the returning of his awareness, dark eyes taking in the dimmed surroundings of the Patrolling Facility. His body was stiff from hours of disuse sitting in the same position – on a cot with his back against the cool wall, right leg bent and right arm resting on his raised knee.

The Uchiha sighed, stretching out his rigid muscles and craning his head back, gathering his wayward thoughts.

When Sakura, Sasuke, and Souta had emerged from The Pit, Naruto had been strained from his usually exuberant personality. His grin was a little less bright, his shoulders were a little more hunched, and his royal blue eyes were a little dimmed – _haunted_ even. Silence was Naruto's chosen demeanor during the introduction process of Akiyama Raiden and Takeshi Isamu, and the Uchiha clearly remembered Sakura's increasing worry for their blonde teammate's unusual behavior. However, the two didn't press the subject or question it – automatically assuming that Naruto's odd disposition was a side-effect of the incident that occurred in The Pit and the results that came from using the Kyuubi form.

Akiyama Raiden, Sasuke internally recalled, had presented himself first; his hand had outstretched, his shake had been firm, his eyes were hardened and professional, and his lips had been pulled slightly downward into a serious frown. Their introduction had been brief – names were exchanged, gratitude professed for their presence and aid, and a light smirk shared as he stated his admiration of Team Kakashi and their adventures. Both Sakura and Sasuke had been curt, but Raiden's sharp stare had probed them with knowing eyes, and a kind smile was offered as he thoughtfully suggested that they get some rest. Then he smoothly pulled Souta aside and led the younger boy away – most likely to find out exactly what had happened during their time in The Pit. Sasuke and Sakura weren't oblivious to the man's intentions; however, they were grateful that he was giving them space and not pushing for answers of what they had witnessed during their short time in the circular – and _suffocating_ – room.

Before Sakura and Sasuke could question Naruto's welfare, Takeshi Isamu had suavely stepped forward and made his own preamble, charming grin gracing his angular and handsome features. Sasuke couldn't help but narrow his stare in distaste when the Rain Ninja winked a single grey-blue eye in Sakura's direction – earning an unsure but polite smile from the Leaf Kunoichi – his mouth opening to strike up a conversation, only to be interrupted by Akio, who called Isamu from Ground Level to help with Weapons Inventory. Both Sasuke and Naruto watched the taller man leave with similar scowls while Sakura tiredly rubbed at her temples.

With a weak smile, Sakura was finally able to ask how Naruto was doing and the blonde answered a hesitant affirmation of his satisfactory welfare – Sasuke, however, was a little more suspicious with Naruto's unconvincing grin. Sakura, nevertheless, was placated; she smiled in tired relief as she patted his soft, blonde tresses affectionately and then vocally announced that she needed some time to think – _alone_ – and that they should all get some rest.

That had been about four hours ago.

There was still an ample amount of time – about one or two more hours – until daylight arrived and Sasuke sat quietly in the Rest Area of the Patrolling Facility, still awake, leaning as comfortably as he could manage against the cold, concrete wall, his dark eyes now trained intensely on a single form across the massive room. A few cots down, snuggled up in a thin blanket was Naruto, who had finally succumbed to sleep just a few hours prior.

Sleep, unfortunately, was elusive to the Uchiha as he instead periodically lost himself to memories of the past – curiously recalling moments that were vital to the person he had now become.

Sasuke silently questioned why_ that_ particularly recollection – the turning point in his return to becoming a Leaf Shinobi once again – had unexpectedly taken the forefront of his thoughts.

Uchiha Itachi was long dead and avenged. Uchiha Madara – after numerous and irritating encounters during the Fourth Ninja World War – no longer boded a problem. Naruto showed no signs of being overcome by the Kyuubi and its power. And Sakura…

Sasuke blinked again, focusing his vision on the silent form sitting across the large room of the Patrolling Facility. Her shoulders were hunched, arms wrapped around her knees as she stared solemnly out into the late night through the panoramic Viewing Deck Window. Sleep seemed to be escaping her also and he could almost _see_ a considerable weight resting on her petite shoulders.

Uchiha Sasuke silently admitted that Haruno Sakura would always be someone to be concerned for. For a young woman of her fragile build – yet _full_ heart – she had no qualms or reservations when it came to protecting someone she cared about, or even protecting those she hardly knew. Sometimes she was too kind, sometimes she was too forgiving, sometimes she was too trusting…

…And sometimes, she was just too _important_ to allow _any_ harm to come her way…

Unconsciously, Sasuke's jaw clenched as Madara's taunting words echoed in his head.

'_You have a glaring weakness, kunoichi. You are reckless, just like the Jinchuuriki. You both have the pointless and irritating will to never give up; you're both too emotionally driven. But _you_, kunoichi…_You_ don't have the strength to carry through. So many insecurities. So many things to prove. So many ways for you to be exploited. _Weak_…She'd risk her life, even for a traitor to her Village. What stupidity. Don't you see, Sasuke? _Weak_.'_

That single observation from _years_ ago was bothering Sasuke as his onyx eyes traced over Sakura's delicate silhouette, brows furrowing with his pensive expression.

'_She _isn't _weak…'_ Sasuke thought, _'But she isn't _prepared _either…She needs the means to protect herself when Naruto and I can't…She needs another option that won't have her resorting to _sacrificing _her_ life_.'_

Sasuke's lips pulled into a determined line. His mind was made up and the memory of her receiving a fatal attack _for him_ was now justified.

He knew what he had to do.

* * *

Sakura tiredly leaned her right cheek against her raised knee, emerald eyes slowly blinking as she stared out into the darkness that was the Tri-Point Forest's dangerous edge. Occasional movement beyond the foliage could be discerned yet the kunoichi couldn't find herself analyzing any suspicious activities the _creatures_ could be performing.

She felt too drained. She felt so _powerless_. She felt so…_weak_.

"I could have saved him…" Sakura whispered as she turned her head, leaning her forehead against both knees and clenching her eyes shut, "_Why_ didn't I save him…?"

Her fisted hands drew inward to rub against her weary eyes, body aching for much needed rest but her mind once again betraying it in favor of processing numerous strategies and hypotheses and growing questions and concerns.

Sighing, she raised her head, blinking sluggishly before something through the Viewing Deck Window caught her gaze. Again, she blinked to clear her blurred vision, leaning forward and narrowing her stare as if the additional actions could help her distinguish the white form standing still at the Tri-Point Forest's border.

"…What _is_ that…?" Sakura whispered, unsure if there was another…_girl_ staring straight at her.

Sakura could have _sworn_ the tiny form had just tilted her head and…_waved_.

"What're you looking at?"

Startled, Sakura whipped her head to the left, staring wide-eyed at Takeshi Isamu, the Rain Ninja's grey-blue gaze also directed where hers was previously settled. Instantly, the Medic shifted her stare back to the Tri-Point Forest, only to find darkened woods and the form, which had captured her attention, gone. Disappointed, Sakura leaned back into her chair, staring at the empty spot in bewilderment, wondering if what she had seen – a glowing-white _girl_ – had been _real_ or simply her imagination.

The apparition hadn't even resembled the _Little Girl_; it had actually looked more like a wispy, _ethereal _form rather than a solid mass of a _corpse_. A…_ghost_…?

"I need some sleep…" Sakura moaned softly, shaking her head as she leaned it against her raised knees again.

"…There are plenty of open cots," Isamu offered; Sakura's head lifted and she was met with the Rain Shinobi's charming and kind grin.

"…You didn't see it then?" Sakura asked instead, brows furrowed with worry for her own sanity.

Isamu's grin lessened, slight confusion and curiosity breaking through his expression, "See what?"

The Medic studied him, eyes narrowed in critical scrutiny, as if to determine whether he was lying to make her crazy or telling the truth which meant she _was_ crazy; she frowned and turned away, "Never mind."

Isamu stared down at her, grey-blue eyes softened as he took in her tense and restless posture, "You know…" He started conversationally, gaining her attention, "…I'm glad you're here…" He smiled when she raised a brow in puzzlement, "Takeru isn't going to pick on me as much anymore. He'll have you and your teammates to bother and scoff at too."

He flashed her a wide grin and Sakura blinked, regarding Isamu with confusion before his light-hearted joke finally settled into her sluggish mind, "…Oh…" His grin faltered with her blunt answer and Sakura managed a weak smile, a small part of her grateful for his effort to cheer her up, "…Glad we can help."

Seeing the tiny lift of her lips Isamu took it as a positive sign, taking a seat beside her and gazing out the glass window with a thoughtful smile, "Would you like to talk about anything, Haruno-san? You don't seem very…_happy_. Care to share? Or vent?" He shifted his stare back to her, expression softened into that of empathy and open comfort.

Sakura answered with a sigh, turning away from his probing gaze to look upon her fisted hands resting on her lap, "…It's hard to be happy considering the situation we're in…Everything about this Mission is so…_frustrating_."

"You're telling me," Isamu agreed, leaning back in his seat, eyes directed on his own lap, "I've been here longer than you have and I know basically as much as I did when I first got here…Which, really, isn't much."

Sakura's brows furrowed, "Nothing? I'm sure you have to know _something_ more…"

"I'm probably as informed about everything as _you_ are, Sakura-san. Eh," His broad shoulders shrugged carelessly, "I'm not told too much. It's no surprise though. I'm an outsider and a guest to these borders, so I'll play by their rules."

"But if it's getting you nowhere, why keep following those restrictions?" Sakura asked; she turned her head to stare at him, confusion still painted on her features.

Isamu smiled, catching her gaze as he wagged his index finger, "Ah-ah, I didn't say I was going _nowhere_," That same index finger tapped at his temple, indicating his deep, grey-blue eyes, "I _watch_," He tapped his right ear, "I _listen_," He winked, "I observe, Haruno-san. There's a lot to be learned just by being immersed in the environment," He shrugged again, returning his gaze through the Viewing Deck Window, "Granted, I still haven't learned _too_ much," He grinned, "But I keep anything and everything in mind. I think that'll count in the long run."

Takeshi Isamu's playful attitude, infectious grin, and optimistic outlook – despite his limitations as an outsider – caused Sakura's own disposition to loosen. Her tense shoulders had slackened, her clenched fists had relaxed, her eyes were shining a little brighter than before, interested with the Rain Shinobi's little speech, and her lips had lifted into a more distinguished smile.

Seeing her smile, Isamu beamed, "Ah, there's the smile I was working for. And I must say, Haruno-san, you are quite a beauty," The statement earned a surprised look from the pink-haired kunoichi, a light blush dusting her cheeks. Isamu chuckled, "It's nothing to be embarrassed about, Haruno-san. I find it quite refreshing. There aren't many gorgeous women in The Group; and while Akemi-san smiles she tends to hide behind them with a tough exterior. And Kasumi-san never smiles – and if she does, it's very, very, _very_ _rare_," He laughed, resting his hands behind his blonde head, leaning back comfortably, "You know Haruno-san, I may need to rely on _you_ to help brighten up gloomy days."

Sakura chuckled, leaning her cheek against her palm as she stared at her charismatic companion, "No promises, Takeshi-san, but I suppose I can try. If not, I'm sure you can ask Naruto to help you out."

Isamu laughed, head falling back, "Uzumaki-san! Yes, I'm sure he and I will get along brilliantly! Good kid; I wouldn't mind a challenging spar with him either."

"He'd probably jump at the chance," Sakura agreed, "He'd readily accept a challenge."

"And what about your other teammate?" Isamu asked, grey-blue eyes shining with amusement, "You think he'd spar with me? I have a feeling he doesn't like me very much."

"Sasuke-kun?" The Medic asked, confused once again, "What makes you think that?"

Isamu only smiled a secretive smile, shrugging his shoulders once again, "Oh, just a hunch."

Before Sakura could open her mouth and question further – desiring to sate her curiosity – a smooth, deep baritone cut through their placid conversation, "Sakura."

Emerald eyes shifted, switching from brightened grey-blue to darkened obsidian, blinking up at Uchiha Sasuke who towered, intimidating, over her and Isamu's seated positions, "Sasuke-kun. Is something wrong?"

The ex-Avenger remained quiet, regarding the Medic apathetically before switching his stare to the innocently smiling Rain Ninja, his own lips pulling downward fractionally when Isamu casually waved at him in greeting.

"Hey there, Uchiha-san."

Sasuke offered a noncommittal grunt in response before returning his attention to his female comrade, pinning her with a firm stare.

"We should head back to the house and get some rest," He answered in reply of her bemused expression, "There's nothing more we can do here; at least not tonight. The sooner we get back, the sooner we can get some sleep."

Sakura couldn't help but agree. The tests in The Pit had been run and since then all she had been doing was brood in solitude for the lost life she hadn't saved. The memory of the tragic moment caused her frown to return, emerald irises switching to the Rest Area to see Naruto already tiredly sitting up and rubbing his hands through disheveled blonde spikes – ready and waiting to return to a quiet abode and more comfortable beds. Guilt for her Team Seven Comrades' experiences in The Pit had also returned, churning uneasily within her stomach.

"The frown again?" Isamu asked solemnly. Sakura looked up and watched as he leaned toward her and tapped the underside of her chin, "Chin-up, Haruno-san. Tomorrow – or rather, _today_ – is another day. Don't stray to the past. Look to the future and we'll all work to solve this problem. Sadness and frowns will get us nowhere but smiles and positive attitudes can give us _hope_," His smile lessened, his playful tone containing a more serious edge, "Deaths and tragedies will happen but we can't let it deter or stop us – it should only push us forward…"

Slowly, Sakura nodded her agreement, allowing his words to settle in her mind, her lips lifting once again into a grateful smile and earning a small grin from him in return.

With a heavy exhale, Sakura stood, dusted off her pants, and took a single step to follow Sasuke, stopping momentarily to smile a little wider for Isamu as she whispered a soft, "Thank you."

Isamu closed his eyes, leaning back in his chair, arms resting behind his neck in a posture of complete relaxation, "Anytime."

* * *

Sasuke watched as Naruto stumbled haphazardly up the stairs and into the first room on the left of the narrow hallway, not even bothering to close the door before falling unceremoniously onto the futon in the corner of the room. The blonde was asleep before he hit the pillow and the Uchiha could only surmise that the Kyuubi's emergence in The Pit had taken a lot more energy and chakra out of him than they previously realized.

Sakura briefly stopped at the room's entryway, her eyes drifting from Naruto's snoring form to the child-sized vanity and bed on the other side of the room, brows scrunched together in an expression of sadness and underlying determination.

Sasuke brushed his hand against her shoulder, gaining her attention, and gently applied pressure, veering her away from the occupied space and towards the Master Bedroom at the end of the hallway.

"Get some rest," Sasuke muttered, opening the door to the simply-furnished room, the curtain-drawn windows already displaying the steadily lightening skies of dawn.

Sakura nodded her head tiredly, "…Right."

Sasuke stepped away from her, heading to the last, unoccupied room and opening the door to the sparsely decorated space. He heard Sakura's door click shut and with a tired exhale of his own, Sasuke entered his room, sealed the entryway and slid into his own futon – not caring that he was still garbed in his shinobi gear – and allowed his body to finally relax with content security – away from low hisses and agonized screams, slightly comforted that his teammates were in his range, Naruto's and Sakura's respective chakras dormant with sleep and steadying with easing tension.

Sasuke closed his eyes and laid there.

* * *

Silence.

It was quiet. _Too _quiet.

And that fact _bothered_ her. The silence _actually_ disconcerted her.

Only _two_ nights being surrounded by the constant hissing and moaning and taunting that the _Corpses_, _Creature_, and _Little Girl_ provided that Sakura couldn't help but feel that something was _wrong_ when she was _finally_ able to attain a peaceful night of sleep.

The silence was _deafening_. And with every creak that sounded, every wind current that hit the loose shutter, every groan of the plumbing, every occasional loud snore that sounded down the hall from Naruto's room only caused Sakura to tense with anticipation, _waiting_ for the distant haunting noises to start their irritating yet chilling routine.

Kami, she was so _paranoid_.

Shifting in her bed, sheets twisting around her legs, Sakura blinked, unsurprised to see that her room had lightened with the sun's rising. She had been tossing and turning uneasily for _hours_, unable to close her eyes and allow unconsciousness to consume her. Instead, her body clock was in chaos, recalling that she was an early riser but noticing that her mind was in a fatigued state – ultimately putting her in a sluggish yet wide-awake condition.

And as nice as a gesture it was for Sasuke to have helped her sleep the night before, the circumstances were different. Loud noises had been bothering her before and using silence as an excuse would only be…_annoying_. And as tempted as she was to crawl beside Naruto – since he'd _never_ deny her that comfort – Sakura couldn't find herself sleeping in a room that might have belonged to a deceased child, even if she _was_ accompanied by a friend.

Sakura groaned into her pillow before sighing and sitting up.

"If I'm going to be awake, I might as well be productive," Sakura muttered, "If anything, I can always take a nap later."

So with an irritated huff, Sakura stood and, as carefully and as quietly as she could, crossed the hallway and made her way downstairs to the Study, intent on researching everything she could and _hopefully_ coming out with possible theories and hypotheses that could get her on the right track for _The Curse_'s mystery.

* * *

Sasuke hadn't gotten any sleep. Rest would probably be the better term: he had been far too alert to have even succumbed to unconsciousness, having woken at the slightest of noises – and with Naruto in the next room, loud snorts occurring every few minutes, Sasuke's moments of respite weren't long enough for him to fully enjoy.

It was when Sasuke heard Sakura's door open before she quietly crossed the hall that sleep completely left the Uchiha. Curiously he followed her chakra signature, making sure she did nothing reckless – like leave the house to conduct more experiments – assuming that she was going down to the kitchen to get some water.

When enough time passed that water retrieval was out of the question, Sasuke debated whether or not he should join her – since he didn't seem to be getting any sleep himself – or go down and force her to get sleep since she undoubtedly needed it. However, he internally argued that the kunoichi could still desire for her solitude just as she had at Patrolling Facility – thoughts which led him to scowl as he recalled the Rain Shinobi and his more-than-friendly attitude towards his female comrade.

Sasuke didn't want to analyze his anger towards Takeshi Isamu. Instead, Sasuke justified his ill feelings as _wariness_ – _caution_ that the Rain Shinobi was another liability towards _The Curse_'s mystery. Sasuke clearly sensed he was a strong shinobi, had honed and controlled chakra, seemed witty yet _clever_, though even with his charming, charismatic, and friendly personality, he was still an ambiguity in his own personal motives, his skills and abilities, and how he was able to handle himself with _The Curse. _

Sasuke did not want to believe that he was angry with the knowledge that the Rain Shinobi had easily slipped through Sakura's defenses, breaking through her reclusive state and lifting her up from her downward-spiraling mood – even managing to make her smile and _laugh_.

Sasuke scowled even more when _his_ _own_ arrival on the merry scene had resurfaced her solemn frown. And her smile hadn't returned until the Rain Ninja had spoken to her yet again.

The Uchiha shook his head, scowl fading, lips instead forming a grim line. Takeshi Isamu was a new variable in _The Curse_'s problematic equation and Sasuke was going to be sure to keep a careful eye on him.

* * *

Sakura flipped through the files in her hand with a sigh before closing the folder shut and throwing it carelessly back on the desk. When Akemi said that they didn't have a lot of information, she _literally_ meant that they _didn't have a lot of information_. Sure, the stacks Sasuke and Naruto had carried to their temporary living arrangements had been numerous but not entirely _helpful_. The Medic found interest in past reports of ventures into the Tri-Point Borders but they all ended the same: _retreat_ or _squadron annihilation_. Nothing more was gained except another failed attempt to adapt on for future efforts.

"…Stay clear of shadowed areas…" Sakura read and inwardly noted, "…Some _creatures_ bleed into the darkness…" She turned to the next report, "…Stay together in large groups…They're more careful when numbers are larger…" Pink brows rose with the bit of information, "…So they're capable of strategy, they're _aware_…"

The Medic rifled through a few more reports, jotting down significant notes in her own notebook, eyes flying across the coarse parchment and its scrawled characters.

"…_Creatures _retreat to the Northeast, towards the Twisted Valley," Sakura whispered, reading through another testimony, "Forest is too dense with foliage to follow…Tried flying overhead – still too dense to enter or obtain any visuals…" The Medic blinked, her gaze unfocused as her mind whirred with various possibilities, "_Why_ the Northeast? _What_ could be there that makes them return there?"

Sakura closed the report before reaching for the stack of deceased or missing persons, "Origins," She muttered, "Who is _The Little Girl_? _Who_ is the _Creature_?" She frowned, eyes scanning every single picture in the given profiles, trying to find any resemblances to the _creatures_ that haunted the Tri-Point Forest, "…Are they even Bird Country originated? Could they be Earth – or even _Rain_ – born?"

A headache was beginning to throb at her temples with her new invasion of questions.

"And what the hell is it about _me_ that they _want_?" Sakura muttered, snapping the folders shut when she found no photos that could help her, "What do _I_ have that they _need_?"

Asking the questions aloud didn't help Sakura obtain the answers she desperately wanted but it helped her organize her thoughts, remember what she needed to look up and study, and figure out what strategy she was going to follow. Her gaze panned to the far corner of the desk where her Inventory Scroll laid, filled with her collection of evidence acquired during her brief time at the Rain Border Village. Her lips curved downward, already knowing that it would be pointless for her to try and examine what was stored inside since she didn't have the proper tools for a thorough study.

"I'll have to make that trip to see Osamu-san today," Sakura sighed, recalling the Civilian Physician from the day before, "He may not have the advanced Medical Supplies that shinobi use but even _basic_ tools will be more helpful than nothing…"

Staring critically at the stacks of files sitting on the desk in front of her, Sakura knew that while the information wasn't _much_, at least she had more of a grasp of the situation. By reading through past reports of previous exploits into the Tri-Point Forest it gave her a small sense of readiness when it came to facing the darkness of the Forest's depths head-on.

Figuring out the _mystery_, however, was going to be entirely up to _her_.

Exhaling a long, resigned breath, Sakura pushed the stack of folders away from her, stood up, and eagerly determined that it was time for some coffee.

* * *

When Sasuke finally decided to head downstairs to join Sakura – feeling unproductive as he lay quiet in his bed – he found her moving around the kitchen, making coffee and a breakfast consisting of toast, eggs, and bacon. A single, silent glance was shared between the two Leaf Shinobi before Sakura resumed her cooking and Sasuke took a comfortable seat at the Dining Room table.

"Morning Sasuke-kun," Sakura finally greeted, albeit softly – tiredly.

Sasuke replied with his usual, "Hn," though his dark eyes regarded her intensely, noticing her slumped shoulders and the lethargic way she moved about the tiny kitchenette. He shifted in his seat, "You didn't sleep."

The kunoichi stilled momentarily, before she turned her attention from the bacon in front of her to pierce him with dulled, emerald irises; her smile was forced, "…I couldn't. It was too…_silent_." She turned away, back to the sizzling meat, and laughed – though it was without humor, "Weird huh?" Her heavy shoulders lifted in a short shrug, "So I decided to get some research done instead."

A part of Sasuke wanted to reprimand her, tell her that she needed sleep, demand that she march back upstairs and into bed and that she wouldn't be allowed out until she got _at least_ a decent six hours of reprieve. It was obvious that she was exhausted by the pallor of her skin, the lacking shine in her pink tresses, the dullness of her once-bright-eyes, and her poor posture – so used to seeing her walk gracefully and confidently only to be replaced by a gait weighed down by too many problems and rushing thoughts.

But, Sasuke wouldn't do any of those things. He _knew_ Sakura. She would fight, she would be stubborn, she would deny, and she would continue working her hardest even at the cost of her health. Sasuke had no power over her actions and he was in no position to judge and order her when he himself hardly achieved any sleep either.

"Find anything?" He settled for responding.

She sighed, transferring the food in her pan onto a clean plate, "No…" She shook her head, "At least not a lot…I'm hoping that The Plan in a few days will help me figure out _something_…"

Sasuke's brows lowered skeptically at the mention of The Plan, hands rising to curl under his nose, and elbows resting on the hardwood table, "What they're planning is dangerous…_We_ have never gone willingly through the Forest and experienced a full-on attack. We're in _their _territory; they can pick us off one by one if we're not prepared."

Sakura nodded with understanding, taking the seat across from him, putting the breakfast plate in the middle of the tabletop, as well as setting three separate dining wares, "I know what you mean. _One_ experience a few nights ago doesn't make me an expert and you and Naruto haven't even physically been out there. Before we go out there we'll have to speak with Dai-san and create our own strategy given the information we already know."

"Which isn't much," Sasuke interjected, frowning.

Sakura sighed, but agreed nonetheless, "…Which isn't much."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed fractionally, losing himself in thought as he mechanically took some breakfast for himself. He didn't like the situation he and his Team were in. No information, no strategy, no advantage, _nothing_. He didn't like being so defenseless and he especially didn't like his teammates being just as defenseless also – it put _everyone_ at risk.

He felt like he was entering a suicidal assignment.

Preparation was _key_, however, and he would honestly admit that Team Kakashi was probably one of the most dynamic and accustomed Squads in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. They adapted easily with each other, were so in tuned with one another that they didn't need visuals to know where their comrades were, communication could be made silently with the simplest contact of the eyes or flick of the wrists. Team Kakashi's flawless teamwork was going to be _essential_ to completing this Mission.

Now, Sasuke had a plan of his own to carry out.

However, before the Uchiha could voice it, Naruto came stumbling into the room, eyes half-closed in sleep and nose turned up in the air as he followed the aroma of freshly cooked breakfast.

"Mmm, morning…" Naruto mumbled before stumbling into a chair with an empty plate before it.

Sakura smiled, amused, "Looks like _someone_ got a good night's rest."

Again, Naruto muttered incoherently before shoveling the remaining contents of breakfast onto his own plate – earning a small scowl from Sasuke.

The amusement in Sakura's stare faded and she leaned closer towards the blonde, "How are you feeling? From yesterday?"

Hearing the evident concern in her tone, Naruto's blue eyes shifted towards her, a small grin forming on his tanned features, "I'm feeling _much_ better, Sakura-chan; thanks for asking."

Sakura's smile returned and so did Naruto's attention on breakfast; he scooped a mouthful of egg and bacon into his mouth before glancing between his two best friends, "So, what's the plan for today?"

The Medic leaned back in her seat, hands grasped firmly around her warm mug of coffee, "…More research, I suppose. Get information about The Plan from Dai-san. And I need to visit Osamu-san to get some medical supplies and tools to examine the evidence I have."

"…Sounds so boring…" Naruto grumbled earning a sharp glare from Sakura, which caused him to move his hands up in quick defense, "_Busy_…Sounds so _busy_ is what I meant!"

"Tch, _dobe_," Sasuke commented.

Naruto frowned, "What was that, _bastard_?"

Sakura put her mug down and rubbed her temples, "_Seriously_, guys, _now_? You're fighting _now_? It's too _early_ to fight. Knock it _off_ before I knock you both_ out_."

"But Sakura-chan–!" Naruto began to protest.

"Let's spar."

Emerald and royal blue eyes snapped towards Sasuke, one surprised by the offhand suggestion while the other grinned widely with poorly suppressed anticipation – _beyond excited_, especially with the lacking action for the past few days.

"Not a bad idea, teme!" Naruto agreed wholeheartedly, sleep completely gone from his eyes as he pumped a fist in the air, "Your best idea yet, actually!"

Sasuke glared at him before switching his attention to Sakura – expectant.

The kunoichi offered him a weak smile, "…I really should continue researching–"

Sasuke's stare sharpened, "_All_ of us."

"Yeah, Sakura-chan!" The blonde added eagerly, "It'll help! Release tension and stress and all those other bad things!"

Uncertainty was clearly painted on her features and her green eyes darted between Sasuke's impassive – yet still uncannily persuasive – expression to Naruto's widely grinning – and widening even _further_ if that was possible – countenance. It was clear she didn't want to let them down and that the chance to exercise was _very_ tempting, but she was also torn with the opportunity of doing her job and getting as much as she possibly could done in as much time as she was able.

"We'll need to strategize," Sasuke stated firmly, "If we're going to be heading into that Forest, we _all_ need to be prepared."

Several more seconds of silence passed before Sakura exhaled a soft sigh and allowed a small smile to grace her lips – Naruto whooped loudly and Sasuke smirked smugly, already knowing her answer,"…Alright, let's go."

* * *

Team Kakashi – used to training on Grounds surrounded by trees and other forms of foliage – traveled towards the Western Forest of the Bird Border Village, directly opposite of the Tri-Point Forest and close to a trail that led towards Bird Country's Capitol. Unlike the Tri-Point Forest, Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke could literally _feel_ a difference in their surrounding environment. The greenery was more welcoming and lush, birds were chirping brightly, the early afternoon sun was beating warmly on their backs – it _almost_ felt like they were back _home_.

"…I wonder how everyone else is doing…" Sakura murmured softly as they trekked leisurely towards a suitable clearing for practice, "I hope Shishou received my message without trouble…"

"Eh, I'm sure Baa-chan has got Kaka-sensei on his way right now," Naruto grinned, hands behind his head, "Can't miss the opportunity of a _full_ Team Kakashi on an S-Ranked Assignment, can we?"

"…I kind of hope she sent Shikamaru too…Or even Neji…" The Medic thought aloud.

Naruto scoffed, "We don't need _them_, Sakura-chan! _You_'re super _smart_; you'll definitely solve this mystery! _We_'ll solve this mystery! Believe it!"

She chuckled lightly, green eyes a little brighter than hours prior, "You and your optimism, Naruto. I'm not sure what I'd do without it."

"You'd do _fine_," Naruto grinned, winking a mischievous, blue eye; he then clapped a rough hand against Sasuke's back, earning a scowl from the silent Uchiha, "Can't say the same for the Teme though."

"Admit it, _loser_," Sasuke sneered, "I'd do _phenomenal_ without you around."

Sakura rolled her eyes and sighed, though she couldn't hold back the slight upward twitch of amusement from her lips, "And here we go again…"

"Care to _prove_ it?" Naruto grinned, challenge sparking his entire expression as he jumped away from the dark-haired male and brandished several kunai and shuriken from his pouch.

"_Gladly_," Sasuke accepted with a smirk of his own, Sharingan already spinning dangerously before he completely blurred away with admirable speed.

Sakura sighed once again, already hearing the tell-tale grunts, _clangs_ and the occasional insult hurled across the adequately-sized clearing they had stumbled upon. Ignoring the typical, masculine behavior exhibited by her two teammates, the Medic comfortably settled down at the edge of the clearing, bringing her hands together in a seal of concentration before beginning her usual routine of chakra control and training, working her way slowly but steadily up to the different procedures and techniques used for Medical Ninjutsu and Battle Tactics.

To her immense relief, the feel of her chakra flowing freely and soothingly throughout her body relaxed her tensed muscles and eased her tumultuous mind. The peaceful nature around her – warming sun, cooling breeze, soft grass, singing birds, even the sporadic shouts from Naruto and Sasuke – lulled her into a deep, meditative state.

Sakura had finally found the rest that she was looking for.

* * *

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he crept stealthily through the thick boughs of the leafy trees, keeping close to the shadowed canopies. A bruise was already forming at his left temple where the blonde idiot had gotten a lucky kick yet the Uchiha smirked with the remembered satisfaction of his immediate retaliation – a fisted throw into Naruto's gut.

The exhilaration of a good spar was pumping rapidly through Sasuke's veins and his fingers clenched with anticipation as he crept silently towards a well-hidden perch, chakra subtly fanning out to locate his hyperactive opponent.

A chakra search was unnecessary.

"Quit hiding, you _bastard_!" Naruto yelled, the unmistakable flash of yellow and orange zipping passed Sasuke, unaware, "Come out and _fight me_!"

The Uchiha's smirk twitched a little higher as he quietly removed a windmill shuriken from his belt, the shine of attached wires brief in the afternoon sunlight.

"Tch. _Idiot_," He whispered before jumping forward and letting his weapon fly, pulling on the strings skillfully and manipulating it towards his oblivious target.

Naruto's peripheral vision caught the sudden movement, yelping in surprise before bringing up his kunai knife in defense, the _clang_ of metal echoing in the clearing. Grinning with challenge, Naruto forcefully pushed away the spinning windmill shuriken, causing the weapon to fly back into Sasuke's waiting hand.

"That's not going to work against me," The blonde loudly proclaimed, earning a quirked brow from his opponent.

Sasuke's only response was an even broader smirk before he flicked his wrist, the shine of wire movement catching Naruto's attention before a barrage of kunai and shuriken soared towards him. With an excited laugh, Naruto jumped up and swiftly deflected as many projectiles as he could, some cutting through his black and orange jacket and narrowly missing skin.

"Is that the best you got, teme?" Naruto taunted, landing on a sturdy tree limb, royal blue eyes darting around for any more traps.

Naruto's answer was the sound of chirping birds, the clearing flashing bright blue as a stream of electricity shot towards him. Pushing chakra into his feet, the blonde jumped once more, off the bough he was perched on, just seconds before the electric current made contact, an explosion of bark and leaves showering down on Naruto's form.

Thinking quickly, Naruto landed on the forest floor in a roll, looking up from his tumble just in time to see Sasuke descending upon him, windmill shuriken outstretched to deal the final blow. In a desperate attempt, Naruto reached into his pouch and let fly a multitude of shuriken and kunai to slow Sasuke's approach, but the ex-Avenger smoothly removed his Kusanagi with his free hand and repelled the defense tactic.

"_Dobe_," Sasuke smirked as he released his windmill shuriken, the dark blades spinning rapidly towards the blonde.

Surprisingly, Naruto smirked back, "_Bastard_."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed suspiciously as he watched his weapon slice into Naruto, only to cleanly cut through, embedding into the dirt before his initial target waved mockingly and disappeared in a cloud of white smoke.

"Damn it," Sasuke cursed, dark eyes bleeding red.

"Got you!" Naruto shouted from behind, his voice multiplied by his Shadow Clone Jutsu.

Spinning around in midair, Sasuke watched two Narutos fly towards him, a Rasengan forming in one of their hands, triumphant smirk painted on both their tanned features. Thinking quickly, especially at the disadvantage of being airborne, Sasuke allowed his right hand to burst with electric energy, bringing his hand forward with Naruto just feet away from colliding into him.

Their hands connected and the explosion was immediate. Both shinobi grunted as they were blown back towards opposite ends of the clearing, landing on their backs with heavy grunts and sliding against grass for several feet before coming to a groaning stop.

Sasuke slowly sat up, limbs sore and cuts and bruises already forming from his less-than-graceful fall. Yards away, Naruto was doing the same, crawling on hands and knees towards a tree he could lean against. Obsidian and royal blue eyes met, both burning with challenge, refusal to give up evident in their hardened features, silence reigning over both.

Simultaneously, Sasuke looked away with a noncommittal grunt while Naruto grinned with growing amusement.

"…Eh, Sakura-chan probably doesn't want us blowing up the forest," Naruto stated as he pulled himself up, one hand scratching the back of his head, "How 'bout we call it a tie?"

Sasuke mirrored his movements, still looking away, "Hn."

They both knew Naruto's reasoning was an excuse – though there was _some_ fact that Sakura would get upset if they got too carried away. Both were reluctant to call the spar a draw but they had been battling for a few hours now and rest was needed. They'd finish their match another time.

"_But_," Naruto started as he jogged up to the Uchiha, still grinning excitedly, "Maybe you can help me out with my speed. I would have _had_ you with my Rasengan if I'd been a few _seconds_ faster!"

Sasuke couldn't help but smirk, "Keep on believing that, dobe."

"You know I'm right, teme," Naruto jeered good-naturedly as they moved back towards the initial clearing where Sakura resided, "Stop denying it!"

"Idiot."

"Whatever," The blonde laughed as he slapped the Sharingan-User's back, earning an annoyed grunt from his companion.

Stepping into a clearing, the two ninja found their female comrade in the same position they had left her in: sitting cross-legged and in silent meditation at the clearing's edge. Both noticed that her features were smoothed of the worry-lines she had been wearing so frequently and that her chakra was flowing at a lot more peaceful pace than the erratic and turbulent rate of the past few days.

"So," Naruto started, cutting through Sasuke's thoughts and pulling the Uchiha's gaze from the serene Medic, "Let's keep practicing! There's still so much I need to work on, _especially_ if we'll be entering the Tri-Point Forest soon!"

Sasuke's brows visibly furrowed with the reminder of their planned entrance into the Forest, his dark eyes trailing back to Sakura, "…Practice by yourself, dobe."

Instantly, Naruto pouted, "_What_? That's no fun!"

Sasuke graced the blonde with a level, deadpan stare, "I need to talk to Sakura."

There was a moment of brief silence and Sasuke didn't like the subsequent grin that began forming on the blonde's face. The Uchiha scowled as Naruto suggestively waggled his brows.

"Well, if you just _said_ that in the first place…"

"Just _go_, loser," He growled in response, already walking away from him towards the quiet kunoichi.

Naruto watched him go with his wide grin before running off back into the foliage, cackling maniacally as he called up more Shadow Clones.

"Stupid _dobe_," Sasuke muttered as he stopped a foot away from Sakura, her calm meditation breaking with his close proximity; her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at Sasuke with confusion before a smile lifted her lips.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun. This was a great idea, by the way. Thanks for suggesting it."

"Hn."

Sakura chuckled, standing up from her spot on the grass, dusting off green blades and dirt from her clothes. When she was done she looked up to find Sasuke watching her in silence, his arms crossed over his chest and his dark eyes unreadable.

Frowning, her eyes zeroed in on a bruise forming at his left temple and a thin cut along the column of his neck; without warning, she brushed a single, green glowing hand along the injuries, satisfied to see them heal without trouble, "I hope you two played nicely."

Her fingers brushed against his pale skin, making sure it healed without any scarring; Sasuke closed his eyes, "Tch."

With a soft, amused chuckle, Sakura pulled her hand back, letting it fall limply to her side, "Was there something you needed, Sasuke-kun?"

His dark eyes opened, studying her with an intensity that made Sakura a little uncomfortable, before turning slightly on his heel, "Come with me."

The Medic blinked, "Sorry?"

Sasuke sighed, his eyes darting from her to the other side of the clearing before hesitantly holding out his hand, "Come on."

Still confused, Sakura allowed her hand to slowly slide into his, pleasantly surprised by the warmth and security the hold offered, allowing him to lead her wherever it was he wanted them to go, "Alright…"

* * *

The walk was several minutes long and Sakura watched the back of Sasuke's spiked head with a mixture of confusion and curiosity before switching her gaze to their joined hands. Unbidden, a blush began to form at her wayward thoughts and she began to shake her head to rid of them, pink locks flying with the movements.

'_Neither the time nor place, Sakura,'_ She inwardly berated herself.

"Sasuke-kun, where are we going?" Sakura asked aloud, if only to distract her from unnecessary thoughts as well as remedy her growing confusion and questions.

Unfortunately, Sasuke didn't give her an answer. Instead they kept walking through the calm forestry, deeper towards the West, afternoon sun still warm and slipping past the thick canopies above. Sasuke's grip around her hand remained firm while hers stayed limp; though after several seconds of staring she experimentally – and quite hesitantly – enclosed her fingers around his, heart thudding loudly in her ears when he didn't pull away. In fact, she noticed his steps slow, his head shift as if to look back at her, but he paused his movement and his hasty pace resumed, stare directed ahead, yet their conjoined hands remained.

'_Don't look too deeply into this, Sakura,'_ She immediately thought, _'You have a mission to worry about…'_

"Sasuke-kun…" She called again, fingers tightening as if the additional action would help gain his attention.

Her silent companion stopped walking and she looked around to find they were now in another clearing, though twice the size of the one they had been in earlier. A frown twisted her lips when Sasuke walked forward – releasing her hand in the process – inspecting the spot before turning back towards her. Her hand felt colder but she ignored it, staring at the clearing with obvious bemusement before connecting her gaze with Sasuke's. He was watching her – _analyzing her_ – with furrowed brows, dark eyes so intense that the Medic began to fidget with the hem of her shirt.

"I'm going to show you a Ninjutsu," Sasuke finally said, deep voice strong and cutting through her uneasy thoughts, "I want you to watch closely and memorize the seals."

Still confused, clearly displayed by the pinch of her brows, Sakura was about to voice her questions when Sasuke already turned and slowly began to perform the seals, forcing her to shut her mouth and examine him – still thoroughly at a loss.

The seals were familiar to her, but before she could rifle through her mental index, Sasuke had already inhaled a deep breath and blew into the open clearing, a stream of white-hot fire exiting his mouth and forming a gigantic ball of flame. Sakura stepped back, half in surprise and half from the intense heat of the Jutsu.

Sakura never saw the particular Jutsu outside of battle and witnessing the sheer size and power of it impressed her. She looked at Sasuke, his expression composed and concentrated, unaffected by the intense heat, his dark eyes glimmering against the burning orange of his attack. After several more moments the fire began to lessen until all that remained was a perfectly round ashen mark at the center of the clearing.

Sasuke calmly turned towards her and her eyes met his, an awed smile lifting her lips, "Wow."

He walked towards her, typically emotionless before casting his sights on the ash-covered floor, "Go."

Sakura blinked, "Wait–what? Sasuke-kun–"

"We've established that these creatures are weak against fire," Sasuke interrupted, turning towards her, "Learning and knowing this Jutsu will benefit you and will increase your chances of safety and survival."

Sakura stared at him, wide-eyed and stunned, "…But, it's a clan secret…"

Sasuke's eyes closed, quiet for several seconds, "…That may be so, but I trust you. And if by teaching you this Jutsu means you'll be more protected then I doubt sharing it with you will disgrace my clan," His eyes opened, piercing through surprised emerald, "You are…worthy of knowing this, Sakura."

Sakura couldn't help but feel honored and touched by his concern for her well-being, especially at the cost of sharing a secret technique reserved for the Uchiha Family, "…Sasuke-kun…"

The Uchiha looked away before stepping aside and gesturing to the clearing, "Now, try it."

Slowly, Sakura nodded her head, taking a step forward and a couple deep breaths. With a determined frown the kunoichi slowly but efficiently performed the seals Sasuke had shown her. Trying to emulate the movements she had seen Sasuke execute numerous times before, she inhaled deeply, feeling a heat buildup uncomfortably in the cavity of her chest, so much so that she wanted to cough it all out else her chest explode. Sweat began to bead at her brow and temples and she exhaled as steadily as she could, feeling the heat crawl up her throat and exit her lips, burning past her cheeks into a meager ball of fire about a third the size of Sasuke's. Her time limit wasn't nearly as long as his either, the Jutsu snuffing out and leaving her to gasp for much needed cool air.

Bent over, breathing heavily with her hands on her knees, Sakura looked up to gaze at the darker patch of ash over Sasuke's – not as big as she wanted it to be.

Sasuke took a stand beside her and he smirked when she straightened, his onyx irises also directed at the clearing's center, "Not bad. More practice is to be expected but I'm sure you'll have it down in no time."

"…It's a strange feeling," Sakura stated, her throat a little raw and parched, "Like my veins were on fire and my cheeks and chest would explode with all the buildup…" Her right hand moved up to her throat and cheeks, allowing healing chakra to help soothe the uncomfortable sensation.

"Like I said, it takes practice," Sasuke explained, walking up to her and touching her red cheek and fleetingly stroking her stomach, "Your body will adjust with time, it takes some getting used to but eventually it'll become a part of you. The trick is to stay calm – fire is dangerous and you can't let it control you or else it might turn on you. "

Sakura nodded, "Okay…I understand."

Sasuke looked at her, studied her in a way that was becoming more frequent to her notice, before he stepped back, "Go ahead; try again."

Sakura smiled before she started the seals, "…Thank you, Sasuke-kun, for teaching me this…"

Sasuke nodded, pushing her lower back in encouragement, "Hn."

With a wider smile and her determination growing with the desire to make Sasuke proud with her improvements, Sakura created the hand seals needed and let the fire build in her chest.

'_Thank you for believing me worthy, Sasuke-kun…I won't let you down!'_

* * *

**A/N:** HI EVERYONE! Um…So I'm discontinuing this story…hahaha, JK! So, the reason for my long absence is because I was really busy with life, school, and work. Summer started a while ago and I've been trying to write like crazy so I can update for you guys, I really hope you liked the above chapter, please tell me what you think!

I also haven't been updating because I have several more story ideas I want to get out and update as well as **SasuSaku Month** coming up in July that I signed up for. So check that out, sign up yourselves, and look out for a shitload of stories and updates during that month since there are some awesome prompts and numerous writers taking part in it! I'll try to put a link up in my Bio.

So, this chapter seemed Filler-ish but there was a lot of **SasuSaku Romance**, so I hope you liked that!

I really look forward to hearing from you and I thank you all for your support, reading and/or reviewing. You're all **SUPER AWESOME!**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto and Company, only the PLOTLINE…And Isamu…And Takeshi…And Akemi and Akio…And Raiden and Kasumi…And Shin and Souta…And Reika…

**Next Update:** Next Week! (Hopefully!)

**Please Check Out My Other Fictions!** Including _Psychotic_, a Suspense/Psycho thriller/Horror!

* * *

**UPDATES TO LOOK OUT FOR:  
**_It All Started With – Chapter 17  
False Façade – Chapter 2  
Forbidden Bonds – Chapter 5  
Missing In Action - Chapter 2  
Vengeance – Chapter 2  
The Road of Touch; The Road to Feel – Chapter 2  
Psychotic – Chapter 1  
Teamwork – Chapter 1_

* * *

I'm sorry I haven't been updating the above stories like I've wanted to, it's just my Muse has been focusing so much on _The Curse_ and I can't let that inspiration slip by, so please be patient with the other chapters of my stories, I _will_ get to them, as soon as I possibly can.

_**And**_! If anyone is confused about the Mapping of this story, I'd recommend checking out the World Map at (www . leafninja . com) Just take out the parentheses and spaces, it's where I get a lot of my _**Naruto Information**_! :)

**Oh!** One last thing! Anyone got a _**Twitter?**_ I made one for the sole purpose of making friends who have the same interests as me (Naruto, Inuyasha, Fullmetal

**Len83**


	17. Suspicions

**The Curse**

_**Chapter Seventeen: Suspicions**_

Sakura winced as she tenderly touched her red cheeks, raw from the continuous heat she had subjected them to by practicing for hours on her newly acquired technique, courtesy of one Uchiha Sasuke. The training had been a strange mixture of intensity and casualness: while both Sakura and Sasuke were determined for her to master the jutsu in time for their entrance into the Tri-Point Forest the Uchiha also exercised patience with her, especially since she didn't initially specialize in offensive Ninjutsu.

After soothing the minor burns along her cheeks, Sakura placed a green-glowing hand to her chest – the area warmed and her lungs lightly aching from the constant deep breathing drills she performed. Despite the little time spent learning and practicing the Great Fireball Technique Sakura felt proud of how quickly she had improved, even impressing her genius companion by the small smirk that graced his lips with every second longer the jutsu lasted, every inch in the flaming inferno's diameter added, and every increase in temperature felt.

"How are you feeling?" Sasuke asked, watching her healing hands trace over the raw marks of her skin.

"Good," She answered with a genuine smile, even when her voice was raspy due to the dryness of her throat; she swallowed, "_Really_ good. I mean, doing that jutsu…It's _exhilarating_ – to have that much power build-up in your body and when it's released it can be so _destructive_ yet…calming at the same time. It's like…allowing all that roiling and terrifying out so that the peace can settle…" She blushed, shyly looking Sasuke's way to find his brow arched, listening to her with curiosity and amusement, "Sorry, I'm rambling…"

Sasuke only smirked before looking ahead, keeping pace with the kunoichi as they returned to the general area of the forest Naruto would be, "…No, I understand…I feel the same way."

Sakura grinned, allowing the silence to fall comfortably between them. A warm feeling different from the fire's doing had filled her body, her heart feeling freer and lighter with the knowledge that she had just strengthened her bond with Sasuke, even if it was as simple as training – though the fact that she was taught an Uchiha Clan Technique made his unexpected gesture even more heart-warming.

"Don't ever hesitate to use that technique," Sasuke stated firmly, eyes directed on the dirt trail they had decided to follow, "Especially when we enter the Tri-Point Forest."

Sakura nodded, considering his words with complete understanding, her mind beginning to withdraw to _The Plan_ set to be executed in two days, "Of course."

"There you are!"

Naruto landed in a crouch just a few meters ahead of them causing Sasuke and Sakura to halt in their steps, gazing in curiosity upon the blonde-shinobi whose physical features were shifted into that of his Sage Mode. He grinned, standing up and dusting off his orange pants, toad-like eyes switching between his two Team Kakashi comrades.

"Where'd you go off to?" Naruto inquired, his sly look towards Sasuke causing the Uchiha to clench his fists tightly in irritation and exasperation, "…I'm not _interrupting_ anything, am I?"

"_Dobe_," Sasuke growled contemptuously, eyes closed and fighting the strongest urge to pinch the bridge of his nose – or punch the blonde's face in.

Sakura, however, grinned just as slyly back before performing several hand seals – causing Naruto to watch her movements curiously and warily – brought a hand to her mouth, breathed in, and finally allowed a steady stream of fire to escape her lips and connect with the grassy ground. Naruto yelped in surprise as he leapt away from the small flames that now danced just inches near where he once stood.

"We were _training_, Naruto," Sakura finally answered as she stepped forward and stomped out the flames with her boot, her tone clearly emphasizing _'training'_ since she hadn't been oblivious to his teasing, "Need another demonstration?" Her eyes glinted with obvious warning.

Naruto instantly held up his hands in surrender, absently noting the smug smirk gracing Sasuke's expression, "N-No, I'm okay," He grinned broadly, "But that was _awesome_, Sakura-chan! Good job!"

Sakura beamed, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she walked past him, causing the trio to continue their pace through the forest, "Thank you."

Naruto fell into step beside Sasuke, nudging the ex-Avenger with his elbow before waggling his brows suggestively when their stares met. Sasuke scowled and didn't resist the urge to smack the blonde upside the head.

"Ow!"

Ignoring the sounds of their scuffle and the muffled grunts behind her, Sakura tilted her head to the side with thought, "Naruto…Why are you in your Sage Mode?"

Rubbing the bruise on his chin, Naruto allowed her question to register before he brightened with remembrance, "I used it to find you two. _And_ I remembered that you wanted me to check for the natural energy source during the daylight hours – you know, from your test last night."

Sakura's eyes widened, turning her head to connect her stare with Naruto's orange-bordered eyes, her features sparkling with eagerness, "That's right! What do you feel, Naruto?"

Naruto shrugged, hands shoving into his pant pockets, "It's the same as before: a large area deep in the Tri-Point Forest is where they're all gathered. There aren't any pockets moving around – though it's to be expected since it's the daytime – and the energy seems a little…_muted_…Or at least, not as strong as it was last night…"

"At least we know that they don't disappear," Sakura murmured thoughtfully, "And that they _all_ go to _one_ place since you said they're not scattered around the Forest…Hmm…"

Silence followed, only broken by the sound of distant birds and footwear crunching along the path they followed.

"So…" Naruto breathed out, removing his hands from his pockets and placing them behind his head, Sage Mode melting from his facial features, "What's the plan?"

Sakura pursed her lips, slowing down so she could fall into step with her boys, "…Let's split up," She looked up to glance between obsidian and royal blue, "I'm going to see Osamu-san and get some Medical Tools that I can use for some research. You two can head to _Base_ – talk to Dai-san and Raiden-san – get as much information as you can about _The Plan _and their past experiences with the enemy – to help prepare us."

Sasuke and Naruto nodded – their expressions firm and resolute.

"You can count on us!" Naruto affirmed.

* * *

Team Kakashi had parted ways when they had reached the Western Gate of the Bird Border Village. As planned, Sasuke and Naruto headed towards the Northern Compound where _Base_ was while Sakura ventured to the Southern District of the Village, informed by a few helpful – yet still wary – villagers where Yamamoto Osamu's Clinic was located.

Again, Sakura couldn't help but observe her surroundings as she walked the wide streets towards her targeted destination. Despite the warm, sunny day and the slightly crowded streets, the kunoichi could still discern the tension suffocating the air. She noticed the villagers' reserved and suspicious personalities, going through the motions of daily life in a mechanical way, clearly wanting the peaceful environment of the past yet unable to attain it with the knowledge of _The Curse_ plaguing their minds.

Children didn't play freely, and if they did it was in the safety of the sights of their loved ones rather than eagerly exploring their surroundings in typical childish curiosity. Adults spoke in hushed tones, looked at the Medic with uncertainty, and walked about with stiffness in their postures.

The atmosphere was beginning to affect Sakura, the Village's paranoia beginning to seep into her own bones, piling on top of the fears and uncertainties she already possessed concerning the Mission and her own experiences.

She walked faster.

The further she walked the more thinned out the population of the streets became. There were still the occasional crowds, but Sakura noticed that she was beginning to reach the outskirts of the Village's center – particularly away from the busy avenues of the market. Her emerald irises scanned her surroundings, searching for the modest, two-story, yellow-colored building the locals described as Osamu-san's Clinic.

She spotted the building without trouble – the large sign proclaiming _'Clinic'_ just above the wooden door a blatant indication for her. It was situated on a corner of two intersecting streets, homely and welcoming. However, upon her scrutinizing, her keen eyes caught – just further down the quiet, deserted street – a flash of white, stark against the darkness of an obscure alleyway. Upon closer scrutiny, Sakura found the object of her attention to be a white, metal gate – simple and slightly rusted, usually used as a welcoming entrance to homes or beautiful gardens.

But _this_ white gate…

There were no lush gardens or attractive homes beyond but rather a foreboding darkness that unnerved Sakura. Logically, she could identify her uneasiness as just mild curiosity, wondering what lay beyond the ordinary, innocent-looking entrance with its pathway lined by tall, bricked walls before tapering off into shady brambles leading further south-west towards the Western Forest.

It was a mild curiosity that began to grow with the sudden desire to explore what lay past the ominous white gate and its following darkness.

It was a _feeling_ – pulling at her chest like an invisible lure.

'…_Strange…'_

"You…"

Sakura's inner musings were immediately interrupted by the desperate voice that reached her. Blinking, the Medic twisted her head and was met by large, brown eyes that were staring straight at her. A woman stood just a few feet away from Sakura and was probably only a few years her senior, dressed in civilian attire. Her hands trembled, gripping the front of her sweater as she stared at the Hidden Leaf kunoichi with pleading.

"…May I help you…?" Sakura asked unsurely, peripherals finding small groups of people at the streets' sides, their eyes directed on the exchange, curious.

"Y-You're one of those shinobi, yes?" The woman asked, voice shaky, eyes growing moist, "Y-You're trying to stop _The Curse_, right?" He voice was steadily getting higher with what Sakura diagnosed was hysteria, but before she could voice her confirmation or help comfort her with kind words the woman had lunged forward, grabbing Sakura's wrists tightly – almost painfully – nails digging into her skin, "M-My _son _went _missing_! M-My husband went after him and hasn't returned _either_! They've both been gone for _two weeks_! You're going to find them, right? _Right_? _F-Find them!_ My _husband_! My _SON_! You _have_ to! _PLEASE!_"

Stunned, Sakura could only stare with equally wide eyes into the terrified and desperate expression painted plainly on the woman's face. Around her, the whispers of the surrounding crowds were getting louder but the kunoichi couldn't concentrate on their words. The fear and anxiety in the woman's eyes gripped Sakura's heart and she wanted to open her mouth, spill out assurances, make promises, do _anything_ but stand there stupidly, but she _couldn't_.

All her mind could conjure up was, _'Who _is_ this woman? Don't touch me; I don't know where your husband or you son is! I'll TRY! Just let go of me! Let go of me NOW! LET GO!'_

But before the words could bubble out of her mouth in her panic, warm hands had grasped hers, prying the deathly grip off her wrists, causing teary brown and wide emerald to shift towards cloudy blue-grey.

"We're trying our hardest to find them," Isamu stated softly – gently. He was holding both the woman's hands in his, looking down at her with kind sympathy while Sakura watched with slight detachment from the scene, heart still slowing from her panic, "We need a little more time, every second counts, which means we need to leave Haruno-san alone to continue her research…"

Isamu continued to voice encouragement – _hope, faith_ – to the older, sobbing woman but his words became muted to Sakura's ears. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply to regain her bearings.

"…Sakura-san?"

The familiarly aged voice caused Sakura's eyes to open, greeted with the sight of Osamu, leaning heavily against his wooden cane and his round, spectacled gaze filled with concern under furrowed, white brows.

"I-I'm so sorry," The distraught woman apologized as she wiped her rolling tears from her cheeks. Sakura switched her gaze towards her as Isamu gently tapped her shoulder with console, "I-I didn't mean to surprise you, I-I just…my husband…my _son_ – and Osamu-san, I didn't mean to interrupt you…I…I…"

"My dear," Osamu cut in kindly, hobbling forward, "Do not fret, your worry is to be expected for your loved ones. You look exhausted, go home and get some rest…"

Before he passed Sakura, the Civilian Physician offered her a kind smile before gesturing to the open door of his Clinic with a slight wave of his wooden cane.

"I can only assume you came all this way to the Southern District to make me a visit," His pleasant smile broadened, "Feel free to wait inside, Sakura-san; I'll be right with you."

Sakura stared at him before panning her gaze once more to Isamu and the sniffling stranger, "…Right."

With a sense of relief, Sakura turned and walked away, towards the Clinic, her steps measured yet slightly hurried. Another set of footsteps followed.

Just before she stepped through the Clinic entranceway, a sudden weight rested atop Sakura's shoulder, "…Feeling the pressure?" Isamu's voice was soft and considerate, if not a little curious.

Silent, Sakura looked to the floor, pink brows furrowed, "…I just…" She sighed, resigned, "Yeah, actually, I am. It's…a heavy acknowledgement when there are so many people counting on you."

"It is," Isamu agreed with a nod, "Remember though: _Chin Up, Haruno-san_. You aren't shouldering this alone, yeah?"

It was nice to be reminded that and Sakura smiled, "Yeah. Thanks, Isamu-san."

"Good," He grinned, patting her shoulder once more before moving off, adjusting a pack on his back that she had failed to see before, "Alright, I've got to head to _Base_, but I'll see you there, right?"

Sakura nodded, "Yeah, I'll be there."

One more wave in farewell and Isamu walked off towards the Northern Compound. Smiling, feeling a little more at ease, Sakura entered the Clinic with a renewed determination pushing her.

* * *

When Sasuke and Naruto entered the Northern Compound they were greeted with a flurry of activities; _Base_ was alive with energy. An excited grin immediately lit up Naruto's expression as he watched various spars in motion scattered across the open landscape of the Compound. The Suzuki Twins, Akio and Akemi, were parrying Taijutsu attacks with impressive fluidity and power. Occasional insults thrown by sibling rivalry could be heard above the _'clang'_ of metal, competitive smirks gracing both their faces.

"You're getting _slower_, Akemi!" The red-headed male taunted as they jumped a respectable distance away from each other; he lifted his chained scythe in defensive preparation, "Don't tell me you're putting on _even more_ weight!"

Akemi visibly reddened in response, throwing her right arm forward and pointing the tip of her sai towards her smirking twin, "Shut up! I'll show you _slow_!"

With notable alacrity, Akemi performed a series of hand seals subsequently holding up her dual sai before a crackling blue energy bordered the narrow blades, "Raiton: Rakurai!"

With a soft grunt Akemi pushed off the ground with chakra-enhanced force, speeding toward her brother as her weapons left a trail of blue light, a vicious cry leaving her lips as she swiftly swung her sai with practiced grace and efficiency. Akio dodged, rolling out of the way of her second strike, electric currents grazing his skin in uncomfortable shocks. Steadying himself on one knee, he counter-attacked with a swing of his scythe, forcing Akemi to jump away from the blade and the added length of its attached chain.

"Katon: Ketsugō-en no Jutsu," Akio muttered as he executed his own set of hand seals. A bright spark lit the clearing before a burst of flame crawled along Akio's weapon, coating the chain and the scythe in red heat leaving the twins glowing in respective orange and blue, glowering in fortitude.

Akio was the first to move, swinging the chain in his hold – untouched by fire – towards his sister, like a flaming whip. Nimble as she was, Akemi dodged, jumping above and ducking below the dangerous scythe, barely missing strikes that would not only draw blood but burn the wound terribly.

"…They go all out, don't they?" Naruto observed beside Sasuke.

Akemi had now taken the offensive, running towards Akio at her best opening, taking her electric-covered sai and slashing it with the intent to wound his torso, only for it to be blocked by his scythe. The ensuing collision of both weapons – fire and electricity – caused an explosion that blew both siblings back.

"We have to, if we're going to survive _out there_," A familiar, masculine voice stated.

Sasuke and Naruto turned away from the Suzuki Twin's continued spar to find Akiyama Raiden standing feet away, rubbing a towel through his sweat-drenched, silver-white locks.

He grinned in greeting before throwing the towel over his shoulder, "We've been preparing extra hard for _The Plan_ – today we'll be getting in a few vigorous spars and workouts as well as going over our strategy. I assume that's why you're here?"

Both Naruto and Sasuke nodded in affirmation.

"And Sakura-san?" The older shinobi asked curiously as he looked around for their female comrade.

"She'll be around later," Naruto answered, "She had to visit Osamu-jii-chan for some stuff."

"Alright," Raiden acknowledged, "Well, you're welcome to join in on some spars – our meeting won't start for another hour or two."

"_Sasu-nii_! _Naru-nii_!"

Sasuke felt tiny, petite hands curl around one of his own prompting him to look down into silver-grey eyes that shined brightly with excitement, emphasized with her incessant tugging.

"_You're here_!" The young girl beamed happily.

"Hi, Reika-chan," Naruto greeted with a wide grin of his own.

"Where's Saku-nee?" She asked, looking around, a hint of fear reaching her eyes when she found no sign of the pink-haired Medic, "Is she okay?"

"…She's fine. She'll be here later," Sasuke answered, earning a relieved smile from the tiny child.

"Okay!" She released Sasuke's hand and ran behind the two Leaf shinobi, pushing their backsides with both her hands, "I made cookies again! Have some!"

Raiden smiled, amused, before waving them along and leaving to join Shin, Souta, and Dai on the Training Grounds. Behind Sasuke and Naruto, Reika was babbling excitedly, continuing to push them along towards a table and canopy that had been set up at the edge of the Practice Fields.

Only two figures were seated under the shade of the awning accompanied by the smell of freshly-baked cookies. One they recognized as Takeru, serious-looking as ever with his crossed arms, surveying his comrades critically as they sparred. The other figure was a little older than Takeru, had a larger, more muscled build, though his blue eyes sparkled as he laughed and munched on the baked treats, also watching the progress of those younger than him.

"Masa-jii! Take-oji!" Reika squealed as she ran towards the table and pointed at Sasuke and Naruto animatedly, "Look who's here!"

Both men turned towards them upon Reika's call. Takeru's reaction was immediate – he scowled, mumbled under his breath, and left the table before Sasuke and Naruto could arrive. Naruto scowled also and Reika and the other male watched Takeru leave with matching frowns.

"Take-oji…" Reika whispered in melancholy.

The older male sighed before allowing a wide smile of welcome to spread across his face. He stood, dusting cookie crumbs off his lap – his tall stature and the friendliness he exuded reminded both Leaf Ninja of the late Jiraiya.

"Considering the way Takeru up and left just now," He stated in a deep, rumbling voice, "You must be the hired help Daisuke-boy called for. Pleasure to meet you," He held out a large, meaty hand, "The name is Kobayashi Masahiro."

Naruto took his hand with equal openness, "Hi! I'm Uzumaki Naruto! And this is Sasuke-bastard! You'll probably be meeting Sakura-chan later!"

Masahiro laughed, intrigued by the boy's happy personality, "I'm sure you've already heard the many thanks for your help but I'd like to add my own," He gestured to the open seats which the two shinobi took – Reika climbing onto Naruto's lap – and settled himself back in his chair, expression dimmed, "Even I will admit that we need it."

Naruto grinned, "Happy to help!"

"So in exchange for your help," Masahiro started as he leaned forward with folded hands, "I'll answer any and all questions that you may have. I'm sure there are many things you wish to know."

Sasuke and Naruto exchanged a glance before making themselves comfortable.

"Actually…" Naruto started, "There are."

* * *

When Sakura entered Yamamoto Osamu's Clinic a sense of being _home_ filled her – even if the walls weren't white-washed and the air didn't smell of chemicals the simple knowledge and atmosphere of where healing took place left Sakura feeling a little more at ease.

She glanced around at the yellow walls, decorated with images of past patients, pictures the local children drew, and posters of medically-related diseases and cures. Cots lined the back of the room, tables were neatly covered with tools, and a door leading to the back was probably used for excess supplies. On shelves connected to the walls, plants were lined up, small white cards in front of them indicating their name and use – Sakura recognized most as medicinal herbs and there were others she wasn't familiar with, though she assumed they were native to Bird Country.

In the small waiting area Sakura absently took note of the children's play area, colored brightly in soft pinks, purples, and yellows, scattered with dolls and other playthings for youngsters. Osamu-san seemed like the type of man – type of doctor – who went out of his way to make sure his patients, particularly his _younger_ ones, felt as comfortable as possible, especially with check-ups. Sakura could understand and tried to apply it in her own work ethic – the more comfortable the child the less problems of nervousness and fear during the check-up.

The Medic couldn't help but snort as she recalled Naruto's and Sasuke's check-ups who abhorred physical examinations – if only adults could be so easily placated.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Sakura-san?" Osamu asked as he hobbled in from the entrance, eyes bright.

"Osamu-san," She bowed, "I apologize for the late notice and unexpected visit but I was wondering if I could borrow a few Medical Tools for some research."

"Oh yes, yes, of course, not a problem my dear," The older man assured as he moved past her towards his Tool Table, rummaging under the desk and removing a large messenger bag to put the supplies in, "May I ask how your research is going, Sakura-san? As you had seen outside, our community is growing quite anxious…"

He sent her a sad glance before placing a spare microscope in the carrier; Sakura frowned also, "I'm hoping I'll have more answers by tonight – with the help of your tools of course."

He nodded before pulling out a drawer and removing several Petri Dishes, "You know…I can empathize with the villagers. I may not have lost family to _The Curse_ but I _have_ lost family – my brothers, my cousins, my wife and son – to the Third Ninja World War. Being surrounded by these tragedies brings back those sad memories," He paused in brief thought before removing a medical kit and adding it to the weathered sack, "I can't thank you enough for coming. It may not seem like it but your and your team's presence rekindles our hope. It helps us to know that actions are still being taken to help us and to finally put those lost to rest…"

Sakura could feel her heart weigh heavier with the elder man's words. It was nice to hear that Team Kakashi's appearance brought hope but it also applied pressure to the outcome of their given aid.

"And…between you and me, Sakura-san," Osamu began hesitantly, "I believe you bring Daisuke hope too – he's changed over the years…more introverted and isolated, throwing himself fully in his research of _The Curse_. He seems better now, more positive. As a man who looks after that boy like a son, I ask that you please keep an eye on him – keep him level-headed and safe."

Sakura blinked, nodding slowly as Osamu finished packing the supplies and walked towards her, full bag in hand.

"I'll try…" Sakura answered as she gratefully took the carrier from his hands.

"Daisuke…" Osamu sighed, resting both hands on the top of his cane, "…Daisuke has many secrets also – he's a guarded boy because of his past – particularly his sister and teammates. However, don't let it deter you – it takes time for him to open up, be patient if you can. I've known him most of his life and he still hides things from me…If you need to, protect him from himself…"

"…I'll keep that in mind…" Sakura answered as she shouldered the messenger bag, "…Thank you, Osamu-san."

"It's _my_ pleasure," He smiled, bowing his head, "Stop by anytime, Sakura-san."

The Medic returned his smile – mind a little chaotic with the words of his speech – but she bowed in thanks and turned to leave, giving a final wave before closing the door behind her.

'_Can this Mission get any more complicated…?'_ Sakura thought dismally as she stared up at the late-afternoon sun, _'And Dai-san…What secrets could you be withholding…?'_

The inquisitiveness from before entering Osamu's Clinic also returned and Sakura's emerald irises swiftly met the sight of the lone, white gate at the end of the street. Frowning, Sakura began to walk towards it.

"What can be through _there_?" Sakura muttered curiously.

The end of the street where the ominous entryway lay was deserted of any people – as if repelling the community but still pulling _her_ in with intrigue. When she reached the gate a coincidental gust of wind blew against her body and through her pastel locks, pushing her towards the darkened alleyway.

Reaching out a hesitant hand, Sakura's fingers brushed along the cool metal before she applied increased pressure, pushing the gate open with a consequent _whine_ of rusted iron. Looking around, making sure she had no other company, Sakura ventured forward into the darkness.

* * *

Naruto took a cookie from the offered plate and helped himself to a generous bite. Reika had left his lap to talk to Akio and Akemi, who were treating their respective injuries now that their spar was over. Sasuke sat in typical silence next to the blonde, dark eyes directed towards Dai, Souta, Raiden, and Shin, who were training on the Fields, though his ears were open to Masahiro's explanations.

"Can you tell us…?" Naruto started as he picked up another cookie, "Can you tell us everyone's involvement in _The Curse_? As much as we don't want to pry…" He trailed off uncertainly, not wanting to voice his suspicions of _The Group_ aloud.

Masahiro seemed to understand Naruto's implications and only nodded kindly, "We've either lost a loved one or our reasons are for the Village itself – to protect our home and the community within it."

The older man's smile faded and he picked up his glass of lemonade and took a sip, "Sasaki Yuudai and his wife, Yuen – Reika's father and mother – had been my closest friends and my students. We were one of the first cells to be dispatched for this Mission. While my initial reason had been to simply complete an Assignment – the reasons I follow _now_ are to avenge my best friends' deaths and finish what we started so many years ago…"

Naruto looked at him with sorrow, watching as Masahiro blinked in remembrance before setting down his beverage and pushing onward, blue eyes focusing on the Suzuki Twins, "Akio and Akemi lost their father to _The Curse_ – a shinobi who was also assigned to the Assignment several years ago."

He tilted his chin towards Dai, Souta, and Takeru, who were practicing Fire Jutsu on distant targets, "Takeru lost his wife to _The Curse_ – she was an exceptional kunoichi, admired in the village – and he loved her very much, which is why he hates _The Curse_ with a passion," He frowned, eyeing the younger boys on the Training Field, "Souta and Daisuke lost their sisters – I'm sure you know that Dai-boy's sister – Aneko – was one of the first attacks."

Naruto nodded his head in recollection.

Masahiro then gestured to the other side of the field where Raiden, Shin, and Kasumi were seated, discussing quietly in their huddle, "Those three over there are a cell – or, well, actually Raiden and Shin were in an original team."

"Original team?" Naruto asked, confused.

Masahiro nodded, "Raiden and Shin had another team member – Aneko, Daisuke-boy's older sister," Naruto's eyes widened in surprise and even Sasuke turned his head to regard him, "Their team was close, and although young, Raiden and Aneko cared for each other very much. When she died by _The Curse_, Raiden and Shin were just as adamant in avenging her as Daisuke-boy was. Kasumi joined their team not long after – she's probably the only one of _The Group_ that doesn't have a reason to be here…"

"…Why does she stay then?" Naruto asked as he eyed the woman he had met the night before – quiet and expressionless – beautiful and intimidating.

"I believe she may have feelings for Raiden also…" Masahiro confessed, thoughtful, "…But she isn't the type of woman to openly express them," The older male shook his head, mumbling softly to himself – though Naruto and Sasuke could barely catch his softened words, "…Sensing a bit of a love-triangle between those three though…"

Sasuke locked stares with Masahiro, onyx eyes sharpened, "…Do you know the reasons for the Rain Ninja's presence?"

Masahiro blinked, his hand absently coming up to stroke his scruffy chin, "Not entirely too sure about that kid – just that Raiden and Souta found him wandering the Tri-Point Forest looking for clues. I'm assuming he was dispatched by Rain to find out about the Border Village disappearances but you'll have to get the full details from him. Though, I'm not complaining with his presence – he's helped us out a lot these past few weeks."

Sasuke hardly looked convinced with his sharply furrowed brows, but he dropped the subject as he turned away, refocusing his attention on the shinobi on the Practice Grounds.

Deciding to move them along, Naruto continued his inquiries, "What do _you_ think about these _Creatures_, Masahiro-san? You've fought them, right?"

The older man gave a half-hearted grin, "They're annoying and terrifying _as hell_; and believe me, I've seen my share of gruesome things but never like this…Those walking bodies, those deformed creatures, that _Shadow_ woman and _Little Girl_ – whoever _made_ these things or whatever _The_ _Curse_ was derived from must have really pissed off the balance between natural and unnatural," He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and gained back control of his rising temper, "…Those things aren't easy to fight – one good hit and they'll fall but then they'll just get right back up. Fire can only do so much and if you _touch_ the _Creature_, you're as good as _dead_. The _Deformed_ are vicious and that _Little Girl_ – it's a wonder how something that _should_ be innocent is _anything_ _but_. I don't know what to tell you boys, except that when you go out there – _stay together_ and _don't get cornered_. Once you're separated or isolated – you're _done for_."

Naruto gulped, the hand reaching for the last cookie going limp. Sasuke's demeanor only darkened – fists clenching with multiplied awareness of the lack of preparation, experience, and knowledge him and his Team were armed with.

* * *

Sakura frowned as she cautiously followed the darkened, brick pathway, her hands fisted tightly around the strap of the messenger bag Osamu had lent her. The wind tunnel that the narrow alleyway created caused her to shiver, warily watching the dark foliage ahead as it swayed with the currents. She frowned with every cautious step taken, her heart beating loudly in her ears, blood rushing hotly through her veins as a sense of foreboding washed over her.

The pathway she walked was covered with scattered dead leaves from the surrounding trees. The walls of the alley were made up of residential units and when the trail tapered off with the buildings' ends, Sakura found herself walking alongside aged trees, the sunlight blocked off by the thick canopies of leaves above. She eyed the surrounding trees warily – although they were green and lush she couldn't help but feel that they were exuding death and warning based upon the dark shadows they cast.

Several more yards she walked until the trees lining her sides began to lessen in number and then finally branched out into a larger space leading Sakura into a darkened clearing at what appeared to be the edge of the Western Forest. She stopped in her tracks, following the continued trail with her eyes before a final black iron gate reached her vision. It creaked, swinging lightly with the wind, it's marked entrance leading up to a dark and quiet, two-storey house, looming threateningly even under the dimmed afternoon light.

"…A house…" She muttered before looking around at the untouched, dead gardens, the trees leading back to the town behind her, and sensing no other presences in the immediate vicinity, "…It's so…_isolated_…"

Biting her lower lip, Sakura hesitated briefly before continuing her venture up the darkened trail, flinching lightly as the black gate creaked loudly in the silence as she pushed it open. Tremendous curiosity, however, kept moving her forward and she vigilantly continued her trek until she stopped at the foot of the entrance steps.

Now that she stood looking up at the ominous-looking house, Sakura wasn't quite sure what she was trying to accomplish. To sate her curiosity, perhaps? Was it an attempt to find anything? To justify any suspicions towards the villagers and its community? To put her chaotic mind into even more pandemonium?

Sakura tilted her head, scrutinizing the quiet building with narrowed eyes. It was just like any other house if not a little gloomy in its run-down state, but it seemed abandoned with its unkempt gardens and lacking maintenance. No one seemed to be home either with the curtains drawn and the windows showing nothing but complete darkness beyond. Perhaps the owners had left to the Capitol after _The Curse_ started? Or maybe they had fallen victim to _The Curse_ like so many others had…

She frowned and took a single step back. She wouldn't go snooping no matter how much she wanted to, because she didn't want to risk tainting any memories or invading property and privacy. Besides, it was just an abandoned building – if not a little creepy-looking Sakura really found no other reason to continue investigating. And she couldn't base her sudden prying on just a gut _feeling_ that something didn't seem right _even with_ the circumstances – she had no right.

"…But still…" Sakura whispered as she reluctantly began to turn away from the house, "…This place _does_ feel…_strange_…"

_Thud._

Sakura stiffened, her keen hearing catching the muffled sound against the leaves crunching against her boots. She turned her head back to the house, not doubting that the subdued noise had originated from within. Clutching the strap of her medical tools bag, Sakura suspiciously stepped towards the house's right side where she was _sure_ the sound had come from.

If Sakura hadn't been completely positive that a noise had indeed sounded, she would have summed it up as her mind playing tricks on her. However, as she neared a small, frosted window, big enough to barely fit a toddler should he or she decide to explore, Sakura's suspicions continued to rise. It was just inches above the ground, indicating a below-ground-level room: a basement she presumed.

It looked normal, a window that could be opened from the inside but she could see something barely through the frosted glass, attached. It was a rectangular paper, its size and dimensions familiar to her.

"An…_ofuda_…?" Sakura whispered unsurely.

Her brows furrowed sharply, curiosity and confusion increasing tenfold. Continuing her examination, however, Sakura could not discern any moving forms through the hazy glass and she could hear no further noises as she pressed an ear to the wall.

Perhaps she _had_ imagined the noise…

Huffing with exasperation and increasing irritation, Sakura turned from the house and began to walk away, reminding herself that she had other priorities to attend to – namely her research and the medical tools she had recently acquired for use. Casting a final glance at the dark building the Medic nearly ran into the lone mailbox in her haste. Inquisitiveness returning once more, Sakura swiped the dead leaves from the top, circling the rusted object in search of a name.

In faded, bolded characters on the side, she was still able to read _Makoto Residence_.

Unbidden, anger began to swell in her stomach and her fists clenched tightly, "Makoto – Makoto _Daisuke_."

Her logical mind began to argue that _'Makoto'_ was a common name but she pushed it aside with ferocity – it was _too_ coincidental.

"…_Calm down_, Sakura…" She commanded herself, even as she glared at the words painted clearly in front of her, "Just think about this, don't go berserk, don't lose your temper…_everyone_ is entitled to their secrets…" She frowned, "Though there are some that _shouldn't_ be kept…"

Osamu's words chose that time to flicker into her mind, _'…Daisuke has many secrets also – he's a guarded boy because of his past – particularly his sister and teammates. However, don't let it deter you – it takes time for him to open up, be patient if you can. I've known him most of his life and he still hides things from me…If you need to, protect him from himself…'_

"What secrets are you _hiding_?" Sakura whispered as she glared at the house – suspicious of what she had tried to inspect just minutes earlier.

Reluctantly, decisively, she turned away from the building and walked with determined intent back to the Bird Village. She had to be smart about this; she couldn't jump to any conclusions. Dai may have his reasons – maybe he didn't even live there anymore because of memories of his sister, Aneko. Maybe he was waiting for the right time to share this particular piece of information. Either way, she was feeling too angry to face him. She couldn't put herself in a position where she would blow up, especially when she, herself, had been snooping without reservations.

She'd give Daisuke a chance to redeem himself, to tell her of his own accord – to reveal _what_ exactly he was hiding and was failing to inform her.

For now, she would research. Naruto and Sasuke would have to handle _Base_ and _The Group_ without her for today.

* * *

Early evening was beginning to descend on the Bird Border Village and Naruto and Sasuke silently followed the members of _The Group_ into the house. Their meeting concerning _The Plan_ would begin in a few minutes and both Leaf Ninja had noticed Sakura's continued absence with the day's progression. The two would have exercised more concern with this knowledge hadn't Naruto entered Sage Mode and pinpointed her location back at their temporary living space. They shared a glance before silently deciding that they just follow through with the meeting and check up on her after it was finished. They would find out her reasons for her nonattendance later.

Everyone had assembled in the Dining Area, taking seats around the wooden table – now cleaned of the scattered files Naruto and Sasuke had seen the day prior. Reika had already been sent to her room hours before for a nap and Isamu had returned to _Base_ equipped with medical supplies Dai had him retrieve from Osamu earlier in the afternoon. Several more spars occurred – Naruto eagerly taking part against Daisuke and Souta – before everyone had been called in to discuss _The – _much anticipated_ – Plan_.

At the end of the Dining Table – nearer to the back door – Raiden, Kasumi, and Shin were talking in hushed voices, occasionally pointing at a scroll in Shin's hands. Along the left side of the table, Takeru was silent, arms crossed over his torso; at his right, Akemi was inspecting a bruise on her arm; to her right, Akio was frowning, inspecting one of his scythes and glaring at his twin when he found a mark upon the steel blade; and then, ending the left side row was Dai, who was perusing intently through a scroll of his own.

Lining the right side of the Dining Room Table, across from Takeru, was Isamu – the Rain Ninja oblivious to the guarded glare Takeru was aiming at him and instead laughing with hilarity as he watched the Suzuki Twins begin to bicker across from him. At Isamu's left was Souta, his dark brown eyes staring eagerly at the scroll in Shin's hands before he shifted his head and waved Naruto over to sit beside him. The Leaf shinobi wasted no time in taking the indicated seat, dragging the scowling Uchiha to the unoccupied chair on his other side. Masahiro, grinning at the ruckus around the table, only chuckled before settling himself in the last free chair of the row.

"Don't you _ever_ stop reading, Daisuke-boy?" Masahiro asked good-naturedly, waving his large hand in front of the navy-eyed male across from him.

Daisuke waved his own hand in attempt to move Masahiro's from his vision, briefly looking up to share a half-hearted smirk, "Trust me, you don't _want_ me to stop. This is vital research material, old man."

Masahiro laughed loudly, "Knowing _you_, I'm sure you've read every, single report _at least_ ten times already. Take a break!"

"No can do," Dai answered distractedly, eyes already roving meticulously over the coarse parchment.

Masahiro only shook his head in response. His lips were twitched upward in amusement, but his eyes were shining with clear concern, "Have it your way, boy."

"…Hey, where's Sakura-nee-chan?"

Sasuke turned his head, switching his attention from Masahiro's and Dai's conversation at his left to the exchange between Souta and Naruto at his right. The younger boy was shifting his chocolate-brown gaze between the two Leaf Ninja, brows pinched with worry.

"She's back at the house;" Naruto answered with a shrug, "Figure she's tired since it didn't look like she got much sleep last night. Sasuke and I will tell her about what's going on when we head back tonight."

Souta's tense shoulder relaxed a fraction but his expression still contained hints of concern. Subtly, his eyes shifted to Dai – whose own navy eyes had paused in reading – before nodding his head in acceptance for Naruto's benefit and turning his body to talk with Isamu. The slight movements did not go unnoticed by Sasuke, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Before Sasuke could think up a way to confront Dai – maybe even corner him with words that could cause a slip in information – Raiden had cleared his throat, prompting complete silence and everyone's full attention directed at the white-haired man.

"Is everyone here?" His charcoal eyes scanned the table, landing on Sasuke and Naruto in question of their female teammate, "Sakura-san?"

Sasuke closed his eyes and crossed his arms, "She's probably caught up continuing her research; we'll fill her in later."

Raiden nodded his head before he took the scroll in Shin's hand and opened it up, revealing a map of the Tri-Point Forest, "Alright, as we all know, _The Plan_ is to commence in two days. Our mission is to cut through the Twisted Valley at the Tri-Point's center and investigate what's beyond it," His gloved hand pointed to a center-point on the map, blurred with the unknown of its geography, "The day will be no problem, however it's when night falls that it gets tricky: by cutting through the Twisted Valley we'll be moving deeper into the forest, which also means _farther_ from the safety of the village. Even if we decide to retreat for another day it _will _be a difficult battle to get back inside the protective barrier."

"Then we had better cut through that forest _fast_," Akio muttered.

"_Obviously_," Akemi mumbled, exasperated, earning a glare from her brother.

"We've marked points along the Twisted Valley's edge where we've spotted tracks leading in or have witnessed the _creatures_ enter through," Raiden continued as he pointed at red dots on the map, "We figured that if _they're_ able to maneuver at these particular points then it might not be too dense which will hopefully make it a little easier for _us_ to get through also."

"How do we plan on cutting through?" Naruto asked, confused, "You said before that the reason you've never explored there was because it's too complicated to get through…"

Shin nodded, stepping forward, voice smoothed and calm, "We'll be using various means – axes, Fire Jutsu, we've even learned a few Earth Jutsu to help push through the foliage. It's possible to get through, it's only time consuming."

"Because there are multiple, possible entrance points, we'll be splitting up into teams to cover more ground," Raiden continued, "What we'll be searching for is a route that can get us into the Twisted Valley with as little trouble as possible. Each team will have at least one Fire Type and one Medic for obvious reasons."

Raiden waved a hand and Kasumi stepped forward, removing a scroll from her obi, her voice spilled out in composed mellowness, "The teams are as follows: Team One will consist of Akio, Uzumaki-san, and myself. Team Two consists of Raiden, Akemi, and Uchiha-san. Team Three is made up of Daisuke, Souta, and Haruno-san. Team Four is Shin, Takeru, and Isamu-san."

Takeru turned red, hands fisting together as he glared at Raiden, "You're teaming me with _him_," He threw out his hand to point at Isamu, the Rain Ninja's eyes wide but not offended.

"Your Earth Jutsu will be beneficial in cutting through the Forest," Raiden answered coolly, unaffected by Takeru's glare, "_His_ limited knowledge of Fire Jutsu will also be useful, and Shin has practiced some medical Ninjutsu thanks to Kasumi. You're an _ideal_ team."

"I'd rather work with the Twin _brats_," Takeru countered earning identical glares from two pairs of olive eyes.

"Hey!"

"They're needed for the other teams' compatibility," Raiden sighed, "Deal with it, Takeru, it's only until we can cut into the Twisted Valley."

"Yeah," Isamu cut in, grinning, "You can trust _me_."

Takeru growled in response, "Like _hell_, I hardly know you," His eyes purposely flashed towards Naruto and Sasuke also.

"Grow _up_, Takeru," Masahiro laughed, "Let's be mature about this."

"I didn't hear your name being called, Kobayashi," The scarred man retorted.

"_Someone's_ got to watch little Reika," The eldest responded plainly.

"Will you all just _shut up_?" Akemi groaned, rubbing her temples.

"The decisions are _final_, Takeru-san," Shin cut in smoothly, though his tone was edged with warning, "We're working together for a _reason_ – this is far bigger than your personal qualms against Isamu-san, so I suggest you prioritize your antagonism."

Takeru glared but remained silent, crossing his arms contemptuously over his chest; Raiden continued, his eyes locking on the males of Team Kakashi, "I apologize for the abruptness of this decision, Sasuke-san and Naruto-san, for splitting up your team; however, considering your lacking experience we felt that placing you with at least one of us," He gestured to himself, Kasumi, Shin and Daisuke, "Then chances of your survival will increase."

Naruto frowned slightly, glancing at Sasuke to see his eyes opened and staring down at the polished tabletop, "…I guess…"

Raiden offered a reassuring smile, "As I mentioned before, these teams are only set up for cutting through to the Twisted Valley; investigatory teams within the Twisted Valley will also be different."

Sasuke closed his eyes once more, "…That's fine." Sakura would agree that splitting up would be beneficial as well, keeping an eye on as many people as they could; although risky to split up, Team Kakashi was formidable as a team _and _as solo opponents.

Looking back to Raiden, Naruto shrugged and jabbed his thumb towards the Uchiha, "What he said."

"May I…May I make a suggestion?" Daisuke spoke – the first time since the meeting started surprisingly. All eyes turned to him, his own navy irises directed intently on the scroll in his hands.

"And what suggestion is that?" Raiden asked, curious.

Dai took a breath and finally looked up, piercing his stare straight through Raiden's dark gaze, "I suggest…that we move _The Plan_ to _tomorrow_."

Several eyes widened with surprise and Raiden quirked a single brow, curiosity still captured, "Why's that?"

The younger male licked his bottom lip, eyes darting to everyone on the table, stare fixing considerably on Souta before he met Raiden's interested look once more, "We're running out of time. The sooner we do this the sooner this can all be over. Why wait another day? The new ofudas have already been sent from the Capitol, Osamu-san restocked our medical supplies, and we've trained and discussed…What else is there to do?"

"Not _all_ of us are ready, Dai," Raiden answered, sending a pointed look towards Sasuke and Naruto.

Dai sighed, "I get it, I'm not trying to put anyone in danger, it's just – time _isn't_ on our side. Even if we just went out during the daylight tomorrow to scout ahead and _start_ cutting through. I just can't sit around another day doing _nothing_…"

"Patience is a virtue," Raiden challenged thoughtfully, "I see your point but _everyone _needs to be in agreement."

"For once, I agree with the kid," Takeru stated gruffly, "Why wait?"

"I'm in!" Souta shouted eagerly, brows furrowed in determination.

Akio closed his eyes, "No complaints from me…"

Akemi bit her lip, unsure, "…I suppose…"

Isamu leaned back in his chair, resting his hands behind his head in a posture of relaxation, "Got nothing better to do, yeah."

All eyes turned to Sasuke and Naruto, the blonde frowning uncertainly; wishing Sakura was with them to help make the decision. _She_ was the one with the most knowledge considering her experience and research – _she_ would be better able to judge their readiness.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, eyes still closed, "My teammates and I aren't ready."

Takeru immediately scowled and even Souta frowned with disappointment.

"You can't expect us to readily jump in there when we don't know what's going on," Sasuke countered with a fierce glare, "Last time that happened, you almost got my teammate _killed_," He directed the accusation towards Dai, who flinched guiltily; he panned his gaze to everyone in the room, "We may be here to help but we're not going to throw our lives away carelessly," He looked at Raiden, "And although you say we may trust you with your experience to protect us, trust can only go so far towards people we hardly know – _people_ who used deception to get our help," Again another glare was thrown towards Dai, "So _no_, my team and I aren't ready."

"…I agree with Sasuke," Naruto spoke up calmly, "As much as I really want to help – I don't know how I _can_ help when I don't know what I'm dealing with…"

"So what do you suggest we _do_?" Takeru scowled, "Have the _entire_ group _wait_ for you until you're _ready_?"

"Hey, we're the ones who were called to help, don't blame us for not being debriefed about this _unexpected_ assignment," Naruto retorted.

"I didn't think we needed help in the _first place_," Takeru scoffed.

"Alright," Raiden placated with his hands up, "You three _are_ guests to our lands and we _did_ decide to call for your aid. What do you suggest, Uchiha-san?"

Sasuke's jaw clenched, "Since you three seem to be the most knowledgeable – and most _willing_ – to keep us prepared…" Referring to Raiden, Shin, and Kasumi, "I want you to tell us everything you know about these _creatures_ – fighting styles, attack patterns, techniques – _anything _that I feel will have us prepared enough to start _tomorrow_ like you all want."

Raiden scrutinized Sasuke calmly before smirking, shrugging his shoulders, "Sounds fair. It may take a bit of the night."

"Add in some spars," Naruto cut in eagerly, "Motor experience – give us some visual and movement examples too!"

Shin nodded, "Alright."

"…Does that mean we're starting tomorrow?" Souta asked.

Naruto smirked, body tensed with anticipation, "Depends on how the night goes…"

* * *

Sakura stared down at the Inventory Scroll in her hand thoughtfully before she shifted her gaze to the Medical Supplies she had set-up on the desk of the Study. Taking a deep breath she sat at the desk, unfurling the Scroll and removing a few evidence cards – one smeared from the trail of _The Creature_, another smeared with the blood of Satsuma Yoshiro from the autopsy she performed, and the last covered with the substance that had coated Yoshiro's heart – also from the autopsy.

Rummaging through her messenger bag, Sakura removed a few glass vials filled with what she had taken from the bathtub – after Dai had burned Yoshiro's reanimated body into nothing but charred rubble and dust. Her head twisted slightly to gaze at the plastic bag atop the filing cabinet, filled with remnant skin and bones – like the top of Yoshiro's head from his scalping.

Putting the evidence to the side, Sakura sighed as she slipped on a pair of latex gloves and took a seat on the chair, pulling the microscope closer to her.

She stared at her arrangement, feeling a sense of hope for new and helpful answers, determined to set a foundation for new clues or set her on the correct path for solving the mystery. With a resolute nod she picked up the first card of evidence, covered with the dark trail substance _The Creature_ left behind. Carefully placing it under the scope, the Medic held her breath as she leaned in to gaze through the magnified glass.

Unfortunately, she was only human with limited knowledge and she stared down at the magnified image with furrowed brows, trying to make sense of _what_ exactly she was seeing. The red specks littering the white surface of the card were blood no doubt – it was the dark substance Sakura couldn't identify. Removing a utensil from her given tools, Sakura scratched the metal pick along the card, gathering some material up and bringing it closer for her viewing. It was a substance that crumbled – reminding her of the texture of soil.

"_Could_ it be soil?" Sakura asked herself, remembering she had compared it to dirt just a few days before also.

Sighing, Sakura switched the first evidence card out for the second, covered with the blood from Satsuma Yoshiro's autopsy. The new leaflet was dominantly covered in deep crimson, but Sakura found that the mysterious black substance was also present. Sakura wasn't an expert at identifying blood but the scarlet fluid always held trace amounts of chakra – minute but there. It was how blood seals could be formed, strengthened by the liquid life-force of a person and fused with their chakra.

Although a civilian, Yoshiro did possess chakra, _everyone _possessed chakra – it was just a matter of choosing whether to hone it or not. She closed her eyes, spreading her chakra to the tiny card and finding trace bits of chakra originating from the blood – but a grey haze was also present, similar to the haze she had encountered when trying to analyze the _Corpses_' chakras the night before – she assumed it was the natural energy Naruto could feel in his Sage Mode.

Sakura returned the first card to her sights, feeling for chakra and feeling a significant difference – the grey haze was still there but the blood held various chakras – almost conflicting – which supported Dai's explanation that it was _everyone's_ blood within the dark trail substance.

"But _how_?" Sakura wondered aloud, "_Why_?"

The sun's setting rays slipped through the cracks of the drawn curtains, lighting up the vile near her elbow. Sakura glanced at it before taking a deep breath and uncorking the jar, carefully spilling the contents into a clean petri dish. She placed the clear plate under the scope and removed a pair of tweezers from her tool set, looking through the microscope with growing intrigue.

Picking through the pile of debris, Sakura removed a piece of thickened bone – too large for the petri dish – for closer inspection, squinting her eyes when she found the white item slightly charred, her covered finger sliding against it carefully to remove a thin layer of ash. However, she noticed the object was still unnaturally darkened, in a way not caused by the heat from Dai's Fire Jutsu – it was almost _stained_, on the _inside_, giving the bone a grayish hue below the surface, _within_ the marrow.

"Typical bone marrow is either red or yellow," Sakura remembered from past studies, "Not _gray_."

She set the bone aside and searched through the petri dish once again, removing the lone tooth she had also found. She noticed it was a molar tooth, thicker than that of the premolars, incisors, and canine teeth. Although it was also covered in ash and contained the typical yellowing of plaque, she noticed that like the bone, the enamel was _grayed_ on the inside, beneath the enamel and _within_ the dentine, near where the tooth would have touched the gum.

Captivated, Sakura removed the latex glove from her left hand, allowing a tiny chakra scalpel to form at her index finger and cautiously cut the tooth in half, wanting to find out what the gray matter was. Her frown deepened with confusion and curiosity as she watched a dark, black substance ooze from the freed opening. Apparently the black substance had appeared gray under the white of the enamel and she could only assume the same was in the bone also – the dark substance made gray under the white of the bone.

The matter was liquefied as it left the tooth, trickling lightly along the smooth material of the object. Setting the tooth down, Sakura placed the tweezers back with the other tools before trailing her gloved finger against the dark substance, rubbing it between her index and thumb experimentally, noticing that it resembled that of _The Creature_'s trail.

It was during this thought that the stray beams of sunlight disappeared behind the curtains and below the distant horizon, signaling the evening's arrival. To Sakura's surprise, the substance coating her two fingers shifted, like a ripple of water, the Medic pushing her hand away from her face as she stared wide-eyed at the mysterious element. Her gaze shifted, barely catching the same shift of the material against the tooth. She switched her stare towards the bone, watching with growing astonishment as the gray matter darkened within the marrow – as if _moving_ inside it.

"…What _is_ this?" She whispered with wonder, grabbing a spare, blank card and smearing the liquid on her gloves onto the rigid paper, "…Is this…what _controls_ the _Corpses_?"

The resemblance of the evidence cards – three cards now turned to four – were remarkably similar and were most likely from the same origins. It was only a matter of _what_ it was – what were the components _besides_ the mixtures of various victims' blood.

Frowning, Sakura pulled her tools closer, ready for a long night of continued research and analysis.

* * *

Naruto grunted, crouching low as his royal blue eyes shifted against the darkness of the warehouse, fists clenching tightly as he concentrated his hearing on the slightest of noises. The scattered skylights on the ceiling above acted as a comparable substitute to the thick canopies of the forest, allowing an ample amount of moonlight to cast a dim luminance.

A gust of wind hit his back and Naruto immediately rolled towards a stack of crates, leaning against it to prevent any openings.

"A form of protection or cover can work against you, Naruto-san," A disembodied voice stated amongst the darkness, "Remember that these _creatures_ can seep into the shadows…_Every_ angle is a weak spot in_ every_ obscurity."

"So what the _fuck_ am I _supposed_ to do?" Naruto muttered in irritation as a _Corpse_ lunged at him from behind the crate; he cursed again before allowing a weak Rasengan to form in his palm, throwing the attack into the moving cadaver's gut and watching it disappear in a _puff_ of smoke.

"Your Sage Mode will be beneficial," Shin answered calmly, "From what you've told us, you'll have no trouble detecting them in that form. Unfortunately, you cannot practice it since we don't have the means to duplicate their unique chakra patterns. Instead, we will be using this exercise to give you tips in survival."

Footsteps echoed and Naruto turned, finding a replica of _The Creature_ staring at him with feral eyes. He barely had time to dodge as the dark woman disappeared in a blur towards him, grunting as he twisted and threw a paper bomb at her, the ensuing explosion causing the copy to disappear with a pained cry.

"Very good," Shin commented, "Paper bombs are beneficial considering their fire properties. Remember, however, that it won't be destroyed like the clone is – it will retreat before attacking with more strength – more aversion and adaptation – towards the element."

Naruto grinned, fists pumping with triumph.

"Never let your guard down," Kasumi scolded – her rich voice echoing.

Naruto's grin dropped and before he could react a brutal force connected with his side causing him to fly across the massive room and into a stack of barrels. Groaning in pain he looked up at the hunched, shadowed figure growling at the edge of the moonlight's reach.

"What's _that_?" He mumbled as he slowly got up, staring at the larger form warily as he dusted bits of wood from his clothes.

"A _Deformed_," Kasumi answered, "Stronger and more resilient than a _Corpse_ – prepare yourself for these beasts. Listen for their heavy steps in the forest – Listen for their heavy breaths from within the shadows – Listen for their distant howls in the night – If you don't they will rip you to shreds."

"_Great_," Naruto sighed sarcastically as he rubbed his bruised side, "So how do I _kill_ it?"

"Your comrades have advantages," Shin answered, "Uchiha-san with his sword and Haruno-san with her enhanced strength. Mere kunai will have no effect; it will continue attacking despite its many wounds…Immobilizing it completely is the only way to survive an encounter with these _creatures_."

Naruto smirked, reaching into his back pouch and removing a weapon with a flourish, allowing the steel to slide against his fingers – it was a knuckle knife similar to the one the late Sarutobi Asuma used. The weapon glowed blue with added chakra and after an intimidating flash of blood-stained teeth, the blonde-haired shinobi lunged with remarkable speed, barely missing the swipe of enormous claws and striking in quick counterattack across the torso of his adversary, the addition of Wind Chakra slicing easily through flesh before following up and finishing off with a quick Rasengan.

The _Deformed_ howled before disappearing in a large _puff_ of smoke, Naruto once more landing in a crouch.

"You must keep in mind that these are _clones_," Shin pressed urgently, "The _real_ thing will be _much_ more threatening."

"Don't need to tell me twice," Naruto stated with understanding.

'_You shouldn't let me touch you either…'_

The remaining smoke from the _Deformed_ disappeared and revealed a disturbing imitation of _The Little Girl_. Naruto stiffened uncomfortably, memories of the night before returning, remembering the _corpse child_'s intent to feed on the innocent civilian girl, its merciless killing of the kitten, and its tried entry through the Village's protective barrier.

_The Little Girl_ disappeared and reappeared with a wide grin beside Naruto, arm outstretched and index finger reaching out to make contact with his shoulder.

"Damn it!" Naruto cursed as he shifted on his feet and jumped away, eyes widening as a new clone of _The Creature_ loomed dangerously at his right.

"Start dodging," Kasumi advised warningly, "Being touched by these two _isn't_ an option."

Cursing again, Naruto was quick to call up a distraction of Shadow Clones, relieved when it seemed _The Creature_ and _Little Girl_ couldn't discern the real from the fakes.

"Good," Shin commended, "But _always_ be aware of _both_ your opponents – especially if they're _these two_."

As Naruto continued to dodge, sweat of trepidation and tire forming at his brow, red eyes spinning with the Sharingan intently followed his movements, eyes retaining the motions and ears preserving the advice for memory and future index.

Sasuke had already gone through his solo exercise – his stiff muscles and sweat-slicked skin showing how rigorous the training had been – using countless amounts of chakra for defensive and offensive strategies, keeping aware of his surroundings at _every_ second, and building up stamina for times where constant evasion was necessary.

At least he knew Sakura wouldn't have troubles with the application of elusion – considering her role as a combat Medic and the drills Tsunade had put her through in her youth.

Everything else, he and Naruto were going to have to fill her in on. At least the Uchiha felt better with her knowing and having his Clan's Fire Technique for additional protection.

"_Fuck_!" Naruto growled loudly as he tripped, ducked low and rolled clumsily away from a swift strike from _The Creature_.

"You're fast learners," Raiden complimented as he wiped his brow with a new towel, tossed Sasuke a bottle of cold water, and then settled his gaze on the Leaf Ninja training below.

Raiden and Sasuke stood amongst the shadows, on a high-level perch that viewed the bottom of the warehouse with little trouble. The Uchiha leaned against the wall, beside a large window that overlooked the outside, in perfect view of _The Group_'s large house.

"Hn," He grunted in response, taking a short swig of the proffered bottle.

"You think you'll be ready by tomorrow?" Raiden questioned curiously.

Sasuke was silent for several moments before he met his scarlet irises with charcoal eyes, "…My team wants to finish this Mission as soon as possible also. With this training…at least we'll be better prepared for what we'll face."

Raiden studied him in his own contemplative silence before nodding his head.

"Do not fall to any traps," Kasumi instructed, almost solemnly, "_The Little Girl_ will not be the _only_ child you will face. _Corpses_ range from women to men of _all ages_. You cannot let it stop you from striking them down…No matter what…"

"_What_?" Naruto shouted, eyes wide.

Sasuke's jaw clenched and he watched Naruto's entire body tense up as several clones – _children_ corpses – circled around his conflicted comrade.

"B-But they're just _kids_!" Naruto yelled, voice quavering as he watched them step closer towards him, young faces devoid of emotion, "I-I can't! Not to _kids_!"

"You _must_," Kasumi whispered reluctantly.

Raiden stepped towards the railing, hands circling the bars tightly, "…Naruto-san…Lay them to rest. Even if it means destroying their small bodies beyond recognition – we'd rather have that than let them be exploited or unnaturally revived…"

Sasuke looked away, out the window at his side, listening to Naruto's aggravated grunts of struggle. The Uchiha had undergone the same exercise, had hesitated himself, even fleetingly wondered how _Sakura_ was going to react to this bit of harsh information. But he struck them down – his first with clenched eyes and grit teeth – before finishing the rest with even more detachment than he already utilized.

"…Do it, Naruto," Sasuke stated softly – though his voice echoed in the large building, bouncing off the walls almost hauntingly.

"B-But Sasuke–!" Naruto spluttered, still warily watching the tiny figures encroach upon him.

"They're no longer living," Sasuke interrupted, "Finish them…" He turned his head to look down, straight into Naruto's solemn royal blue eyes, "…Free them."

A silent conversation was shared between their locked eyes, recalling the memories of the Ninja World War – of the reanimated corpses of close friends and loved ones: Sasuke's brother, Naruto's many acquaintances – and slowly – tentatively – Naruto nodded before he clenched his fist, throwing his enclosed knuckles and Wind-Chakra enhanced blade against the tiny forms, tears of anguish brimming at the corners of his eyes as he watched his surroundings become covered in thick, white smoke.

'…_This isn't right…And they aren't even the _real_ things…'_ Naruto thought angrily, flinching inwardly as his hand contacted with a final, small body.

"We apologize…For our insensitivity…" Shin said sincerely, as a fresh wave of elder cadavers appeared, leaving no room for Naruto to recover, "…But we must prepare you…"

Naruto didn't respond, only continued his defense on his advancing adversaries, his features hardened, and lips pulled into a grim line.

Sasuke's gaze had been averted, red eyes narrowing as he noticed two figures leaving the house a few yards away from the warehouse. His keen sight recognized the forms as Daisuke and Souta – he frowned, allowing his Sharingan to spin as he read the fast moving lips of his new focus.

Even from his distance Sasuke could see that Daisuke was withdrawn, lines of stress and concern appearing on his forehead. He ran an irritated hand through his shoulder-length brown locks as Souta – surprisingly – glared angrily at the older man, his brows furrowed steeply as he pointed an accusing finger at Dai.

"_Why haven't you told her yet?"_ Souta's fast-moving mouth reproached, _"You called her for a reason right? You said she could help but you haven't told her yet!"_

"_We can't tell her yet, Souta,"_ Daisuke with a deep-set frown, _"It's not the right time, she doesn't know enough…As much as I _want _to; we can't…Not yet!"_

"_But why?"_ Souta pleaded stubbornly, earning more suspicions for Sasuke, _"You said yourself earlier that we're running out of time! She…She…She can help…"_ The younger boy had bowed his head, tears sprouting at the corners of his eyes – he swiped at them to prevent them from trailing down his cheeks.

"_Not yet, Souta…"_ Daisuke answered softly, tenderly, _"But soon…We need Sakura-san to understand these _creatures _a little more before we take more action…I don't want to risk anything. And…she isn't ready…Not yet."_

"Who_ isn't ready?"_ Souta pressed desperately.

Daisuke sighed, running a hand down his face, _"Both of them aren't…"_

Souta looked up at him, sniffed and wiped at his eyes again, _"When will they be…?"_

Daisuke placed a comforting hand on Souta's shoulder before pushing him back into the house, "_…Soon, Souta…Soon."_

Sasuke's clenched hand relaxed as the two disappeared from his view. His jaw was also tightly locked and his shoulders were stiff as he replayed the strange conversation back in his head. There was no doubt that one of their subjects of the conversation was Sakura, but the entire point of it was lost on him – he didn't know near _enough_ to know what the _hell_ they were talking about – and that irritated Sasuke to no end.

'_What the hell are they planning?'_ Sasuke thought angrily, suspicion now increased even more than it had been – he was drowning in doubt towards Daisuke – and _Souta_ too – now.

"You alright there, Uchiha-san?" Raiden's cautiously asked.

Sasuke's red-eyed glare must have been vicious, because when he connected his aggravated stare with the white-haired male, Raiden had blinked with surprise and wariness upon the severe expression.

Sasuke grunted as he crossed his arms over his chest and directed his attention back towards Naruto's training exercise, "I'm _fine_."

Raiden didn't look convinced and he even turned his head to see what caught Sasuke's focus outside the window, disappointed and confused to see nothing; he glanced at Sasuke once more before following his stare back to Naruto, "…Alright then."

"Shit!" Naruto muttered as he flipped away from _The Little Girl_ and called up several Shadow Clones.

Sasuke's Sharingan irises glazed with deep thought, fists clenching once again as he unknowingly glared at the replicas of _The Little Girl_ and _Shadow_.

'…_Those two aren't the only ones that need to be watched…'_ The Uchiha thought strictly, recalling Shin's advice, _'…Keep in mind that we may have enemies coming in at _all angles_ – in _every_ obscurity…'_

* * *

It was late when Sasuke and Naruto returned to their temporary living arrangements within the Bird Border Village – past midnight and possibly a few hours beyond. They hadn't noticed, too involved and immersed in the lessons and guidance of Raiden, Kasumi, and Shin when it came to surviving the Tri-Point Forest.

Weighed down by fatigue and slightly sore from continuous movement and the work to increase their stamina, the two Leaf Shinobi stumbled into the dimly lit house. From the end of the hall, they could see the Study, its door opened and revealing various medical tools and papers neatly organized atop the desk. However, the chair beside it was empty.

A couple steps inside the building and Naruto and Sasuke peered into the Dining Room, seeing the Dining Table strewn haphazardly with papers and several scrolls. What caught their immediate attention was Sakura herself, slumped over the tabletop, pen held loosely in her hand, and cheek resting against a notebook scrawled with additional information probably gathered and theorized throughout the day.

The Medic's entire expression was relaxed in sleep, faint snores emitting from her mouth, before she moved and rested her cheek on her free arm in her unconscious search for a more comfortable rest.

"Must've been researching all day," Naruto mumbled, tired features lifting in amusement as he moved towards her, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder.

A part of Sasuke wanted to stop Naruto, to allow Sakura continued and _needed_ rest, but he noticed the discomfort of her position as she slept and neither he nor the blonde had the strength to carry her up the stairs to her room.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto called softly, shaking her shoulder lightly, "Wake up sleepy-head. You tell _me_ enough times not to sleep like that, so _you_ shouldn't either."

Sakura groaned in annoyance, swatting his hands away before turning her head, releasing her pen and burrowing her face into her crossed arms, "Leave…alone. Sleeping…"

Naruto chuckled, "I see that, Sakura-chan…Don't you want to sleep in a _bed_ though?"

"Go _away_," Sakura moaned irritably.

Naruto shook his head, gently prying her arms open, "Come on, Sakura-chan. We need to wake up early and _well-rested_. _The Plan_ was moved to tomorrow…"

There was silence but Sasuke noticed Sakura's slightly stiffened shoulders. She turned her head, blinking drowsy but attentive emerald eyes towards them, "…Tomorrow?"

Naruto nodded sheepishly, before shrugging his shoulders and scratching the back of his neck, "Yeah, decided it earlier…Didn't want to waste any more time…"

She slid her eyes towards the silent Uchiha, "…You didn't argue the decision…" It was more of a statement rather than a question – an observation of their actions – though she didn't seem mad, just curious of the choice, especially when she _knew_ how Sasuke was – he wouldn't have allowed it if he felt they weren't ready.

"…We received special training tonight to help prepare us for the entry," Sasuke answered, "We'll fill you in before we enter the Forest – though we won't need to utilize it since we don't plan on staying out when night falls."

She blinked, scrutinized them both before sighing and closing her eyes, "…Okay then."

Naruto chuckled unsurely, "…That's it?"

"I trust your judgment," Sakura mumbled.

Sasuke felt satisfied by that answer and Naruto smirked, poking her in the shoulder – earning an annoyed grunt from the Medic, "Well, I _judge_ that you should go upstairs to _bed_. Up!"

Sakura grumbled but sluggishly stood from her seat, glaring half-heartedly at the boys before straightening up her papers and closing her notebook. Humming tiredly, she took both Naruto's and Sasuke's hands before leading them upstairs.

"…So much to tell you…" She muttered, almost incoherently, "…Suspicious…Questions…Ugh."

Sasuke was tempted to share his own thoughts and suspicions, especially after the disagreement he had seen between Daisuke and Souta – but Sakura looked too out of it to retain and process whatever he said and he was too exhausted, himself, to explain.

Tomorrow would be best.

"Night boys," Sakura said tenderly as she released their hands and offered a sweet smile, "See you tomorrow."

"Night Sakura-chan," Naruto responded, "Teme."

"Hn," Sasuke watched them disappear into their respective rooms, "Night."

Tomorrow.

With a new day came even more possibilities.

They were going to enter the Tri-Point Forest. Hopefully, Team Kakashi would survive it.

* * *

**A/N:** Um, hello! Yeah, so a super long chapter for you guys, especially since you've all been so patient with me…And it has a lot of good stuff to get the plot rolling even further. Share your thoughts please; I'd _love_ to know what you readers are thinking right now! And I hope I'm not confusing anyone – below are character profiles for the Original Characters, in case you're a little lost. Tell me what you think of them – do you have any favorite Original Characters?

I really hope you're enjoying the story so far and I thank you all for reading/reviewing/and showing your support! It really helps to keep me going, especially when times are going tough. I really, really, _really_ appreciate it. You're all the best.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto and Company – only the Plot and Original Characters.

**Next Update:** I'm not sure…It kind of takes a while to dish out chapters for this story. I'll aim for two weeks!

I'm also trying to work on Updates for **Vengeance** and **Psychotic** as well as a _new mystery_…uh, haha.

And I'm, unfortunately running behind on my **SasuSaku Month Prompts**. The only reason I updated this is because it was mostly finished – my computer's down and this was saved on a USB, my other works however, suffered and I'm trying to figure out a way to recover it. Until then, I'm using my brother's computer – which he's usually on – which is a little difficult to use since I don't have 24 hour access to it. So sad!

But I want to get those **prompts** out before July ends! I want to see **SasuSaku Month **through!

Until then, I hope you enjoy this long update!

* * *

**Character Profiles:** _(Listed from Oldest to Youngest)_

**Name:** Yamamoto Osamu  
**Age:** 63  
**Gender:** Male  
**Rank:** Civilian Physician  
**Physical Attributes: **White hair; short beard, wears round spectacles, uses a cane.  
**Element Affinity:** None  
**Family:** Brothers _(deceased)_; Uncles _(deceased)_; Cousins _(deceased)_; Wife _(deceased)_; Son _(deceased)  
_**Teammates:** None  
**Story:** Took part in the Third Ninja War as a Civilian Physician. Moved to Bird Border Village to settle down. One of the first to rally and support _The Curse_'s defeat.

**Name:** Kobayashi Masahiro  
**Age:** 54  
**Gender:** Male  
**Rank:** Jounin  
**Element Affinity:** Unknown  
**Weapon of Choice:** Unknown  
**Physical Attributes:** tall, muscular, large build. Straight, white hair, mid-back length. Blue eyes. Likes to smile and laugh.  
**Family:** None  
**Teammates:** Sasaki Yuudai _(student)_; Sasaki _(maiden name: Mori)_ Yuen _(student)  
_**Story: **One of the first to be dispatched to solve _The Curse_'s mystery. His students – Sasaki Yuudai and Yuen – were killed. Is Guardian to Sasaki Reika.

**Name:** Kurosawa Takeru  
**Age:** 41  
**Gender:** Male  
**Rank:** Jounin  
**Element Affinity: **Earth; limited Fire  
**Weapon of Choice:** Unknown  
**Physical Attributes: **Battle-hardened shinobi; slicked-back, black – grey highlighted – hair; distinctive scar crossing his face from left eye to right jaw. Serious and gruff.  
**Family:** Wife _(killed by_ The Curse_)  
_**Story:** One of the first teams to be dispatched to help solve _The Curse_. Wife killed during a venture into the Tri=Point Forest. Continues to fight out of revenge.

**Name:** Watanabe Shin  
**Age:** 26  
**Gender:** Male  
**Rank:** Jounin  
**Element Affinity:** Wind; limited Medical Knowledge  
**Weapons of Choice:** Unknown  
**Physical Attributes: **Soft-spoken male, calm and cool, long black hair tied in a tail at the base of his neck, reaching mid-back; bangs framing his face giving the illusion of short hair; dark eyes.  
**Family:** Unknown  
**Teammates:** Akiyama Raiden, Ryou Kasumi, Makoto Aneko _(killed by_ The Curse)  
**Story:** Took on the Mission of defeating _The Curse_ with Akiyama Raiden once discovering former teammate Makoto Aneko had fallen victim to _The Curse_.

**Name:** Ryou Kasumi  
**Age:** 25  
**Gender: **Female  
**Rank:** Jounin  
**Element Affinity:** Unknown _(for now)_; limited Medical Knowledge  
**Weapon of Choice:** Unknown  
**Physical Attributes: **Wavy, long, waist-length, platinum-blonde hair. Bright, light blue eyes. Beautiful, aristocratic features. Soft-spoken, mellow-voiced.  
**Family:** Unknown  
**Teammates:** Akiyama Raiden; Watanabe Shin  
**Story: **Was added to Akiyama Raiden's and Watanabe Shin's team after Makoto Aneko's death. Extremely loyal to her teammates. Kobayashi Masahiro believes a love-triangle between the three.

**Name:** Akiyama Raiden  
**Age: **26  
**Gender:** Male  
**Rank:** Jounin  
**Element Affinity:** Fire  
**Weapon of Choice:** Unknown  
**Physical Attributes: **Shoulder-length white hair; charcoal eyes; serious yet comforting presence, born to lead; passionate; intelligent  
**Family:** Unknown  
**Teammates:** Shin Watanabe; Ryou Kasumi; Makoto Aneko _(killed by _The Curse)  
**Story: **Took on the Mission of defeating _The Curse_ with Watanabe Shin once discovering former teammate Makoto Aneko had fallen victim to _The Curse_. Cared deeply for Aneko. Additional reasons to be revealed.

**Name:** Takeshi Isamu  
**Age:** 21  
**Gender:** Male  
**Rank:** Jounin _(Rain Country)  
_**Element Affinity:** Unknown; limited Fire  
**Weapon of Choice:** Unknown  
**Physical Attributes: **Shoulder-length blonde hair; carefree and humorous; cobalt eyes.  
**Family:** Unknown  
**Teammates:** Unknown  
**Story: **Found wandering the Tri-Point Forest for clues to _The Curse_ by Akiyama Raiden and Yoshida Souta. Decided to stay and help when discovering their common goal.

**Name:** Makoto Daisuke  
**Age:** 18  
**Gender:** Male  
**Rank:** Chuunin  
**Element Affinity:** Fire  
**Weapon of Choice:** Unknown; uses Ofudas  
**Physical Attributes: **Shoulder-length brown hair; navy eyes. Conflicted boy harboring secrets. Can be carefree at times but mostly delving in his research for _The Curse_.  
**Family:** Makoto Aneko _(older sister; killed by _The Curse_)  
_**Teammates:** Kaya _(former)_; Keitaro _(former)  
_**Story:** Witnessed his older sister – Makoto Aneko – die by _The Curse_. Once a Chuunin, he was appointed by Toki-sama – Bird Country's Leader – to oversee _The Curse_ and its solution. Called Haruno Sakura on deception for help.

**Name:** Suzuki Akio  
**Age:** 16  
**Gender:** Male  
**Rank:** Chuunin  
**Element Affinity: **Fire  
**Jutsu:** _Katon: __Ketsugō-en no Jutsu_ – Fire Jutsu of Binding Flames – Coats weapon in Fire for further damage  
**Weapon of Choice:** Twin Scythes  
**Physical Attributes:** Shaggy red hair; olive-green eyes; muscularly fit; aloof personality.  
**Family:** Father _(killed by _The Curse_)_; Suzuki Akemi _(twin sister)  
_**Teammates:** Suzuki Akemi; Yoshida Souta  
**Story:** Father killed by _The Curse_, desiring to continue and see his Mission to the end.

**Name:** Suzuki Akemi  
**Age:** 16  
**Gender:** Female  
**Rank:** Chuunin  
**Element Affinity:** Lightning  
**Jutsu:** _Raiton: Rakurai_ – Lightning Jutsu: Lightning Strike – Coats weapon in electric currents for further damage  
**Weapon of Choice:** Twin Sai  
**Physical Attributes: **Waist-length red hair held in two pigtails; olive-green eyes; lithe and fit; temperamental, outspoken personality.  
**Family:** Father _(killed by _The Curse_)_; Suzuki Akio _(twin brother)  
_**Teammates:** Suzuki Akio, Yoshida Souta  
**Story: **Father killed by _The Curse_, desiring to continue and see his Mission to the end.

**Name:** Yoshida Souta  
**Age:** 12  
**Gender:** Male  
**Rank:** Chuunin  
**Element Affinity:** Fire  
**Weapon of Choice:** Unknown  
**Physical Attributes: **Short, brown hair; chocolate-brown eyes; Naruto-esque, hyper personality.  
**Family:** Sister _(killed by _The Curse)  
**Teammates:** Suzuki Akio; Suzuki Akemi  
**Story: **Desires to get revenge for his Sister.  
**  
Name:** Sasaki Reika  
**Age:** 6  
**Gender: **Female  
**Rank:** Civilian  
**Element Affinity:** None  
**Weapon of Choice:** None  
**Physical Attributes:** Waist-length, ebony hair; silver-gray eyes; intelligent for her age; innocence.  
**Family:** Sasaki Yuudai _(killed by _The Curse; _father)_; Sasaki _(maiden name: Mori)_ Yuen _(killed by _The Curse_; mother)  
_**Teammates:** None  
**Story:** Loved by the members of _The Group_, she is now watched over by Kobayashi Masahiro since her parents' deaths. She continuously fears for her 'family's' safety. She likes to cook and bake to show her thanks and loves to talk – has taken an extreme liking to Team Seven and is very close to Yoshida Souta and Makato Daisuke.

**Name:** Satsuma Yoshiro  
**Age:** 27 _(presumably)  
_**Gender:** Male  
**Rank:** Civilian _(deceased)  
_**Element Affinity:** None  
**Weapon of Choice:** None  
**Physical Attributes:** N/A  
**Family:** Unknown  
**Teammates:** None  
**Story:** Taken by _The Curse_ and the first and only to be returned without the label of MIA or KIA. Diagnosed mentally unstable and left behind by the Rain Border Village during evacuation. Found by Makoto Daisuke – left in an ofuda-protected Clinic Room but escaped out of fear. Found by Haruno Sakura and later killed by _The Shadow _and _Little Girl_. Body found by Daisuke and Sakura; Corpse Reanimated and later used for further study.

* * *

PHEW! I hope that helps! Any further questions let me know with a **Review** or **Private Message**!

For anything that says _Unknown_, it's either not essential to the story or will be revealed late on. Hope to hear from you all soon, I really appreciate your feedback!

Thank you!

**Please Check Out My Other Fictions!** Including _Psychotic_, a Suspense/Psycho thriller/Horror! As well as a _New Mystery_.

* * *

**UPDATES TO LOOK OUT FOR:  
**_It All Started With – Chapter 17  
False Façade – Chapter 2  
Forbidden Bonds – Chapter 5  
Missing In Action - Chapter 2  
Vengeance – Chapter 2  
The Road of Touch; The Road to Feel – Chapter 2  
Psychotic – Chapter 1  
Teamwork – Chapter 1_

* * *

I'm sorry I haven't been updating the above stories like I've wanted to, it's just my Muse has been focusing so much on _The Curse_ and I can't let that inspiration slip by, so please be patient with the other chapters of my stories, I _will_ get to them, as soon as I possibly can.

_**And**_! If anyone is confused about the Mapping of this story, I'd recommend checking out the World Map at (www . leafninja . com) Just take out the parentheses and spaces, it's where I get a lot of my _**Naruto Information**_! :)

**Oh!** One last thing! Anyone got a _**Twitter?**_ I made one for the sole purpose of making friends who have the same interests as me (Naruto, Inuyasha, Fullmetal Alchemist, Final Fantasy VII, Anime in general), let me know, I'm open to new friendships and whatever, up to you, just **PM** me or drop a **review! **Happy reading everyone!

**Oh!** And I plan on sending out some **Pokémon (AAML)**, **Fullmetal Alchemist (EdWin)**, and **Final Fantasy VII (CloudTifa)** Fictions too, so if you're FANS, please check them out! :)

**You Are All The Best! And Feel Free To PM Me About Recent Naruto Manga Chapters Too! Heehee!**

_**LotzaLove!  
Len83  
aka  
Luvinukag83**_


	18. The Twisted Valley: Part I

**The Curse**

_**Chapter Eighteen: The Twisted Valley (Part I)**_

Sakura absently traced the rim of her ceramic cup with her right index finger, the steam of her tea dampening the palm of her hand yet warming it against the chill of early morning. Her emerald eyes were unfocused, pink brows furrowed, and lips pulled downward in deep contemplation. A lock of pink hair, wet from her early shower, fell from her ear and the Medic distractedly swiped it from her vision, sighing softly when it stubbornly returned to her view.

Sasuke sat across from her, equally as silent as he studied his own cup of tea, his expression smoothed of emotion, dark eyes distant and lips grim. Sakura's sudden scoff raised the Uchiha's attention towards her, a single brow quirking with curiosity to find a scowl now marring her features, her green irises glaring at her tea, still lost in her thoughts.

Before Sasuke could inquire about the disdain of her scrutiny footsteps sounded on the staircase and Naruto stumbled into the Dining Room, blonde locks wet from his recent shower and blue eyes bleary with tire. Sakura's focus returned upon his entrance and Sasuke watched with disinterest as he staggered into an empty chair and lethargically poured himself his own cup of tea.

"…It's too early…" Naruto mumbled into the silence, glancing out the window to see dark skies before taking a generous sip of the warm liquid.

"The tea will help," Sakura answered with a soft smile.

Naruto grunted and the Medic's smile broadened with increased amusement. She shifted her stare towards Sasuke and found him watching the blonde with apathy.

Sighing once more, Sakura stared intently at her cooling tea, both hands curled around the cup to retain its warmth, expression pensive, "…What did you two learn yesterday?"

Sasuke looked towards her once she had spoken her query and Naruto looked towards the Uchiha. The blonde realized that the Sharingan-User wasn't going to speak as his onyx eyes critically studied Sakura while she fiddled with her cup.

Naruto exhaled heavily, a slight shrug lifting his shoulders, "_The Plan_ is to try and cut through to the Twisted Valley using whatever means necessary. Teams were formed based on abilities and compatibility – at least one Medic and one Fire Jutsu User on each squad."

Sakura looked up to regard both her teammates, "…I have a feeling we've been separated onto different teams…"

Sasuke blinked and then nodded, "Akiyama felt that, instead of putting the three of us together, our survival will be increased if we were each teamed with someone that has had experience with _The Curse_."

"Understandable," The Medic stated, "So, who are we each teamed with?"

"I'm tagging with Akio and Kasumi-san," Naruto shared thoughtfully.

"I was assigned with Akemi and Akiyama," Sasuke drawled; he looked at Sakura meaningfully, "_You_'ve been teamed with Daisuke and Souta."

Sakura nodded, though her features had noticeably pinched with consideration, "I've worked with Dai-san before, so that's another logical choice."

"Keep an eye on those two," Sasuke stated seriously, "Don't let your guard down, even around _them_."

Naruto quirked a brow with curiosity; Daisuke and Souta – _especially_ Souta – seemed harmless to him; but when he turned to Sakura, her brows were also steeply furrowed and she even looked _angry_.

"I know, Sasuke," She answered just as gravely – surprising the Uchiha since he had been expecting the young woman to come to the two's defense, "I'll be careful," She looked up to glance between her teammates, "The same goes for the both of you."

'_Even if I do have my suspicions about Dai-san, especially with that residence I found yesterday…'_ Sakura thought, _'We need to be mindful of everything…and _everyone_.'_

"Am I…missing something here?" Naruto asked unsurely.

"Just be aware, Naruto," Sakura advised as she stood up from the table – enough signal for the three to start heading towards _Base_, "Keep your guard up. As much as I hate to say this, even if we do have allies…they could also be our enemies in disguise…"

Naruto pursed his lips but agreed nonetheless, "Alright."

Sasuke followed Sakura and Naruto to the house's exit, "We have a lot to talk about concerning the shinobi we're working with. All we need to know for now is that we can't trust them entirely. We'll discuss everything when we get back tonight, but for now, we'll fill you in on what Akiyama and his team told us of the _creatures_' attack patterns."

Sakura nodded, stepping out into the cool, early morning, the skies still darkened and the moon still bright, "Fair enough."

* * *

Team Kakashi entered _Base_ grimly, their eyes hooded, their forms taut, and their mentality completely determined. Each were equipped efficiently: Sasuke was armed with kunai and shuriken pouches on his belt and his Kusanagi was strapped securely to his back; Naruto was stocked with various Summoning Scrolls and his own weapons' pouches; and Sakura was heavily tailored with her Medical Pouch, Summoning Scrolls, and weapons' holsters.

Several pairs of eyes followed them upon their arrival. Sakura's own stare warily flickered between the figures standing in the Courtyard under the moon's dying shine, her expression giving away nothing as she and her teammates came to a stop in silent readiness for their departure.

"Morning," Souta called out weakly, tiredly waving a hand in greeting. The younger male was dressed in prompt preparation for their planned entrance into the Twisted Valley as opposed to the older man standing beside him – Kobayashi Masahiro was still dressed in his night clothes, charged with watching over Reika while _The Plan_ commenced.

Naruto grinned with response to the welcome, his blue eyes sparked with eagerness. Sasuke remained silent and Sakura nodded in acknowledgement. The Medic twisted her head, examining The Suzuki Twins as they performed stretching exercises – Akio was smirking with clear anticipation and Akemi was frowning uncertainly. A few meters away from the siblings Takeru stood in isolation, arms crossed over his chest as he stared resolutely towards the East.

Shifting her gaze, Sakura found Dai and Isamu at the front of the house – the former was counting through a stack of ofudas and the latter was sitting languidly on the lower, front steps of the veranda.

"We're missing fifty ofudas," Dai muttered, frowning, "Looks like Toki-sama is having trouble getting more people to volunteer their chakra."

"It's time consuming," Isamu sighed, lips twitched downward in concern, "Capitol shinobi can't waste a day giving chakra since Bird Country's roster is still so new and small. The shinobi are needed for other duties and assignments."

"Which means we're running out of time before chakra isn't offered to us _at all_," Dai pointed out, "And our trips into the Tri-Point Forest have to _count_ so we don't waste the ofudas that we already have."

Sakura watched as the brown-haired male sighed before pocketing the wards into a side pouch of his bag – she couldn't help but narrow her eyes suspiciously at the man; the recent memories obtained from the day prior momentarily blinding her from the present.

"The sun is about to rise…" Akemi murmured softly causing everyone to follow her worried gaze to the steadily lightening skies.

"Which means it's almost time to go," Raiden responded as he walked towards the center of where the group of people were situated; he was followed closely by Shin and Kasumi, the darker haired male rolling up a piece of parchment that Sakura assumed was a map of the Tri-Point Forest.

As the three older shinobi came to a simultaneous stop Sakura couldn't help but observe them with rapt interest and growing curiosity. Akiyama Raiden, with his shoulder-length white hair and two broadswords strapped at his belt, stood with an aura of authority and stern confidence, his dark eyes piercing as he panned his attention along the group of gathered ninja.

Watanabe Shin, with his cool and apathetic demeanor, also exuded an air of calm collectiveness and sharp intelligence. Unlike Raiden's black irises, Shin's were a dark grey and they expressed his emotions more than the physical shift of his features. He wasn't armed with visible weapons but he did have a number of scrolls on his belt.

Kasumi, Sakura noticed, was a very beautiful woman. It was the first time she had seen the woman and a spike of envy couldn't help but shoot through her with the beauty and grace the kunoichi possessed just by _standing_ beside her teammates. Shining, platinum-blonde hair cascaded in silky waves to her waist, her sky-blue eyes were so bright and even lighter than Naruto's own royal blue; and her fit and attractive figure was modestly covered by a lilac kimono, weighed down only by a collection of silver rods in her obi that the Medic couldn't identify. However, what Sakura noticed the most was that her beauty was matched by the severity of her eyes. While her aristocratic features were smooth and unblemished, her lips were straight and her irises were icy. Just by examining her, Sakura could already discern that the woman was an aged soul – probably the most silent and serious of her team.

If there was a word that Sakura would use to describe the particular set of shinobi she would undoubtedly choose _intimidating_. They were admirable leaders based on the looks those of _The Group_ gave them – they were respected; figures of authority people couldn't help but follow without doubt or debate. Seeing them stand before her, Sakura couldn't help but respect them herself – maybe it was because they were older than her; maybe it was because of everything they had been through. She couldn't help but feel trusting of them – to an _extent_ – and felt that they would _genuinely_ look out for them, and that knowledge slightly put her at ease.

It was just too bad that she wasn't assigned to any of them. She directed a short glance towards Dai and Souta – Dai was continuing to pack the rest of his supplies and Souta had bounded towards Isamu, playfully nudging the Rain Ninja's shoulder as he teased him about his allocation with the indignant Takeru.

She briefly shifted her attention to Naruto and Sasuke – both observing _The Group_ just as intensely as she had been.

'_Though…I feel better knowing Sasuke and Naruto are at least assigned to them…_' Sakura thought, _'They've_ never _encountered_ _these_ creatures_ head-on. At least I have _some_ experience to hold my own…_'

"Everyone to their assigned teams," Shin directed steadily.

Before Sakura moved she turned to both her teammates and lightly grasped their arms. The thought of separating from them, even for a short time and in the safety of daylight, still concerned her. If any of them got hurt she wouldn't be the Medic to heal them. If anything were to happen they wouldn't be there to watch the others' backs.

"_Please_ be careful…" Sakura whispered, squeezing their arms fractionally for emphasis.

Naruto stared at her before grinning in assurance, placing a hand over the one gripping his arm, "We'll be okay, Sakura-chan. You be careful too."

Sasuke blinked down at her before nodding his head in affirmation, "Hn."

Sakura smiled before nodding her own head, turning away to join her assigned team only to be stopped by a steady hand on her shoulder. She twisted her head to find Sasuke staring at her firmly.

"Don't let your guard down."

His dark gaze fleetingly glanced behind her and Sakura immediately realized his concerns. Patting his hand, Sakura gave a final nod of her head before walking away, feeling his warm palm and fingers slowly slide away from her shoulder.

"We will be searching the entire Twisted Valley's edge," Raiden began as everyone gathered towards their respective assigned teams, "Dai has already given the Team Leaders one hundred ofudas each for precaution; Akio has also distributed five flares to each team – used only for emergency purposes or if a pathway has been successfully forged; and Shin is currently handing out radio devices – we will _all_ be on the same frequency. Teammate communication will be without problem since you will be within the same vicinity; however, distance will prevent _teams_ from patching through to each other. Though, it will be useful should our respective ranges decrease and immediate help or aid is needed."

Shin handed everyone the tiny, electronic devices and Sakura instantly felt better knowing she could attain some kind of communication with Sasuke and Naruto should there be a need for it.

"Those farthest from the Bird Border Village will stop working four hours before the sun sets to allow enough time to return," Raiden continued, "However; if complications arise you will take shelter at the Rain Border Village and use the provided ofudas for protection."

Kasumi nodded her head towards Masahiro who helpfully unrolled a map – larger than the one Raiden carried – decorated with various lines and markings; she stepped up to the parchment and pointed out four red dots marked along the Twisted Valley's edge, "Four points: _A_, _B_, _C_, and _D_. Each point covers at least a ten mile radius, the scope that the team assigned is in charge of examining and finding a breach location," She pointed at the red dot closest to the Bird Border Village, "Point _A_ will be covered by _my_ Team. Point _B_ will be covered by Raiden's Team. Point _C_ will be covered by Dai's Team. And Point _D_," She placed a slender finger to the dot closest to the Rain Border Village, "Will be covered by Shin's Team."

"Find anything at all," Raiden started, his dark eyes addressing everyone firmly, "You contact by flare or radio communication. Clear?"

Everyone nodded their understanding.

"Any questions?" Raiden asked. Silence was the Bird Jounin's answer and he offered a reassuring grin as he signaled for their departure from _Base_, "Let's head out."

"This is going to change everything," Akio murmured determinedly, "I just _know_ it."

"You all come back safe now, you hear?" Masahiro hollered, his older features creased with obvious concern.

"Keep _Reika_ safe and calm; don't let her worry too much," Dai responded.

"You're asking the impossible, Daisuke-boy," Masahiro joked half-heartedly, "…But I'll try."

"…It's really happening now…" Souta muttered quietly as he fiddled with the tantō at his belt, "Isn't it?"

"Don't worry, kid," Isamu guaranteed as he ruffled the boy's brown hair, grinning; "The sun's about to rise. We'll have plenty of time to find what we're looking for."

Akemi frowned, her fingers curling worriedly through her red tresses, "…You forget the dark shadows in the Twisted Valley, Isamu-san. You never know what can be hiding in there."

"Will you all just shut your traps?" Takeru scowled.

Akemi and Souta glared at him in irritated answer.

Sakura remained silent as she walked beside Sasuke and Naruto, trailing Raiden, Shin, and Kasumi. Her fingers clenched and her jaw locked tightly.

The group of shinobi left _Base_ and Masahiro behind. The closer they walked towards the Patrolling Facility and the Tri-Point Forest beyond it, the quieter the comments and muttering became until only silence reigned altogether. The tension was thick – anticipation keeping their bodies stiff with heightened awareness and wariness.

They all stopped at the Tri-Point Forest's edge, listening to the fading groans and haunting laughter within. Minutes passed before only the wind's soft whistling remained and the relieving sun broke over the horizon, slowly bathing the land in orange and gold.

Raiden, who had closed his eyes and tilted his head up as he basked in the warmth of the sun's morning rays, finally opened his eyes and took a single step forward.

"Alright…Let's go."

* * *

The twelve shinobi traveled as a massive group before they broke off to their assigned points. Naruto was the first to be left behind, heading to Point _A_ with Kasumi and Akio. A meaningful glance was shared between the teammates of Team Kakashi before the blonde veered away and disappeared into the thickened brush.

Sasuke, Raiden, and Akemi were the second team to dispatch two hours into their travel time. The Uchiha gave Sakura a hard stare and a subtle glare towards Dai before he too departed with his team deeper into the foliage.

Three hours of travel and Dai signaled both Souta and Sakura their withdrawal. Takeru traveled unwaveringly ahead, Isamu offered Sakura and Souta a grin, and Shin gave a short nod before the final team headed off for an additional hour of increased distance.

"_Be careful out there_," Dai stated into his radio device as he, Souta, and Sakura slowed the closer they reached the Twisted Valley's edge, "_Your team is the farthest and there's a higher chance of you taking shelter in the Rain Border Village. Don't hesitate to call for our help._"

"_We won't_," Shin answered back shortly.

"_Thanks_ _for looking out_," Isamu stated, his smile evident in his tone.

Sakura remained silent as she followed Souta and Dai into the dense forestry. The sun still wasn't at its peak – it was still early morning – but the weather was already proving to be rather heated and would continue to warm with the day's progression. While the canopies of the surrounding trees provided enough shade Sakura knew that the rigorous work she and her team would be performing would drench her in unwanted sweat and cause her body to move with undesirable sluggishness.

Several moments passed before the team of three came to a halt, stopped by the darkened entrance of the Twisted Valley. Souta eyed the spectacle of twisted trunks and branches warily and squinted his chocolate-brown eyes to try and see beyond the darkness and shadows – his subsequent pout signaled his unsuccessful results. Dai stood feet away, frowning down at a map in his hands before looking around to make sure his coordinates were correct.

Sakura stepped forward, closer towards the tangle of tree limbs and its ominous darkness instantly causing Souta to eye her with worry – worry that something would snatch her up and take her away.

"Sakura-nee-chan…" He started softly.

The Medic ignored him but kept her steps slow and cautious to placate him; her emerald eyes studied the openings among the twisted limbs of bark, too small to climb through even with her lithe figure – it was too big of a maze and too dense of a pathway. Spreading her chakra, Sakura was intrigued to find that there was an aura present among the shadows, faint but circulating – though she didn't have the abilities to identify it. It reminded her of the grey haze she experienced when she had been studying the _Corpses_ at the Patrolling Facility. Perhaps Naruto could identify it in his Sage Mode.

Reaching out a tentative hand, Sakura placed a palm against the closest tree limb she could touch, her heart escalating as she felt a warmth travel from her fingertips throughout her entire body. The aura she had felt before was even more prominent with the simple contact; she could _feel_ energy running through the bark right into the very ground.

"It feels…_alive_…" She whispered as she caressed the rough bark before removing her hand entirely.

"Alive?" Souta repeated uncertainly.

Sakura nodded and took a single step back, examining the area thoughtfully, "…So, how do we plan on cutting through this? It looks too dense…"

"Various methods," Dai answered, "We'll try different Jutsu and different weapons and determine which will work best."

"What's first then?" Souta asked as he cracked his knuckles.

"Fire Jutsu," Dai responded as he placed his bag against a tree, navy eyes sharp with thought, "Go for it, Souta."

The youngest nodded, positioning himself in a firm stance before executing a series of seals, "_Katon: Endan_!"

Sakura watched as Souta inhaled deeply before exhaling in quick puffs, allowing several medium-sized fireballs to shoot from his mouth and collide into the limbs and branches of the Twisted Forest. Hot flames licked the timber, charring the first layer of wooden obstacles and causing a sudden rush of anxiety to fill Sakura's body, the wind picking up as it blew in strong currents against her back – as if pushing her towards the darkness, howling against her ears, as if in _pain_.

'_Alive_…' Sakura couldn't help but think again as Souta's flaming assault ended.

The smell of burnt wood and the cackling of dying embers against scorched timber left the three shinobi to stare in equal irritation and discouragement – the fire had done little to clear a path; it had only blackened the bark and possibly weakened the material. What concerned Sakura the most was that it hadn't caught fire. Wood was supposed to be weak against the element – it should have caught ablaze and caused a reaction of burning foliage that should even prove difficult to stop.

Instead, the flames had died out – completely.

"Strange…" Dai echoed.

"Let's try again," Sakura suggested, "Together now. Increased heat."

"You know Fire Jutsu?" Dai asked as he took a stand beside her and Souta.

The Medic smirked smugly, "I've picked up a few tips and tricks."

Souta grinned, "Cool!"

Sakura gestured to the area Souta had previously set fire, "Alright, on _three_. One…"

"…Two…" Dai followed as he readied his hand to complete the necessary signs.

"_Three_!" Souta shouted eagerly.

Three pairs of hands moved in simultaneous alacrity and Sakura, Souta, and Dai inhaled deep breaths.

"_Katon: Endan_!"

"_Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu_!"

"_Katon: Hirappa_!"

Several fireballs consecutively emerged from Souta's mouth; Sakura watched as a steady stream left her own lips before forming the giant fireball she had spent hours practicing on with Sasuke; and Dai's Jutsu left his mouth in a fast, pressured stream of fire that violently collided with their target.

For as long as the three could hold their respective breaths the heat of their combined assaults blazed brightly and warmed their skin to the point of evoking sweat. All three pairs of their eyes squinted against the burning orange and red of the flames, feeling the wind once more blow just as violently against their backs, wailing loudly in their ears.

When their attacks diminished Sakura stood to her full height, emerald eyes narrowed critically on the damage done, feeling fractionally encouraged that the first layer of bark had burned and melted with the increased heat of the three concurrent Fire Jutsu.

"It made a _small_ dent…I guess…" Souta stated as optimistically as he could.

"Doing this will take the entire day and will exhaust our chakra…" Sakura noted in resignation, "This isn't the best method."

"I agree," Dai sighed as he looked at the rising sun, "We have other approaches to experiment with and another ten mile radius to explore. Let's keep at it."

Sakura nodded and Souta sighed, "Right."

* * *

"_Rasengan_!"

Naruto retracted his hand, allowing his arm to fall limply at his side, eyeing the splintered bark with a scowl. Around him, the winds died down and the blonde's escalated heart rate steadied. He blinked golden eyes, tracing the dense foliage of the Twisted Valley's edge, studying the currents of natural energy running through the tangled limbs deeper into the mysterious darkness.

"This natural energy isn't as strong as the energy I sensed with the _Corpses_," Naruto muttered, "It's weaker…More dormant…But it gets a little stronger the further in it goes…"

Naruto outstretched his palm, calling up wind chakra effortlessly once more, feeling the currents swirl around and steadily gain strength.

Narrowing his eyes, Naruto leapt forward, throwing his dangerous hand at his farthest reach towards the point he had just attacked minutes prior, "_Rasengan_!"

The swirling mass of chakra made contact against the wood and it splintered in a controlled explosion, though Naruto's teeth grit in frustration when he met resistance. Around him the winds bayed and his Sennin Mode immediately felt a shift in energy. The natural energy he felt running through the weave of tree branches and trunks began to circulate towards the point of his attack – almost like a chakra cushion if he were to make a comparison. It was still weakened energy if he was able to splinter and break through a layer of twisted bark but if it had been _regular foliage_ he would have _easily_ cut through _half a mile_ with his _Rasengan_.

He pulled back with an irritated grunt, his golden eyes narrowing as he watched the erratic energy within the trees begin to steady with his assault's end. The winds had calmed also and the area was plunged in silence.

"Damn it," Naruto growled, "What the _hell_ are you? What the hell _is_ this?"

The static of his radio earpiece broke through his frustrated thoughts.

"_We've been scouting our perimeter for an hour now_," Akio complained impatiently, "_I can't find any openings or potential pathways and my Fire Jutsu are hardly effective. Any luck on your guys' end?_"

"_No_," Kasumi answered simply, "_My Jutsu are proving ineffective also. All points in this section are too dense to physically explore through. Uzumaki-san?_"

Naruto sighed before pressing into his communication's device, "No success here," He eyed the splintered bark in front of him, "My Jutsu are hardly making a scratch but the natural energy I feel is strange…"

Static sounded before Kasumi responded, "_How so_?"

"The energy is distributed to wherever I perform my attacks," Naruto answered, "It's like a defense mechanism."

"_So how the hell are we supposed to get through_?" Akio growled, though his anger wasn't directed at Naruto but towards their problematic situation.

"I don't know," Naruto shrugged, "It's not a powerful mechanism, I mean, I'm still able to cut through little by little, but that'll take forever…" He frowned, "Any suggestions?"

Silence dominated the conversation for a short time before Akio replied in defeat, "_I've got nothing…_"

Static crackled again and Kasumi's voice filtered through, "_Let's regroup and re-strategize._"

Akio voiced his agreement and Naruto gave one last disdainful glance in the direction of his last attempt of breaking through before scowling and heading towards the coordinates Kasumi relayed through his earpiece.

* * *

Sasuke silently observed the display before him. The pale skin of his face and the darkness of his eyes were alternatingly painted by flashes of red and blue. His left arm was warm with the continued use of his _Chidori,_ though, to his immense annoyance, his Lightning Technique had offered little damage to the compact verdure that the Twisted Valley was made up of.

"_Cut through already_, _damn it_!"

The Uchiha looked up, watching as Suzuki Akemi slashed her twin sai across the barricade of tree limbs, silver blades bordered in lightening chakra – the added auxiliary helped a fraction but her efforts were just as in vain as when Sasuke had tried the same with his Kusanagi.

Shifting his dark gaze, Sasuke observed Raiden yards away, using his Fire Jutsu Techniques and also resorting to bordering his dual broadswords with flaming chakra for a hopeful advantage against the stubborn tree bark. His methods seemed to be proving futile also.

"This is getting us _nowhere_!" Akemi complained as she holstered her sai, stomping her foot angrily as she glared olive-green eyes at her thwarted efforts; her glare lifted to the skies and her frown deepened, "And we're running out of _time_!"

Sasuke couldn't help but agree with her. They had already tried various methods – combined attacks, chakra-coated weapons, _everything_ – and they were no better off in getting through than when they first started.

"This is _impossible_, Raiden," The red-head continued desperately, "_Nothing_ is working!"

The older male sighed as he ran a hand through his white locks, staring contemplatively at the impenetrable barrier before slanting a look at the sole female of their squad, "So pessimistic, Akemi. Maybe if you tried being a little more positive we might actually get somewhere."

"This isn't a time to be joking!" She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest, "We've already spent half the day with _no_ results! I _don't_ want to be out here still when night falls!"

The amusement in Raiden's eyes faded and his small smile flattened, "This _is_ proving a problem. However, I noticed the most efficient method was when we used a combined attack…The only problem was our expended chakra."

Sasuke stepped forward – which instantly caught Raiden's and Akemi's attentions – scrutinizing the mass of charred branches with narrowed eyes.

"Sasuke-san?"

Frowning, decision made, Sasuke knelt down, eyes now shifted intently on the floor as he bit into his left thumb – effectively drawing blood. Molding his chakra, the Uchiha began to reluctantly execute a series of hand signs before placing his blood-marked hand to the ground, an array of black characters fanning out quickly beneath his palm.

Akemi and Raiden both stepped towards him – the former confused and the latter curious, "…A Summoning Jutsu…?"

Sasuke ignored them, his frown deepened as he poured his chakra into the seal drawn out before him. He hadn't used the particular summons contract in years – preferred not to actually – but he was still willingly tied to the summons agreement – a just in case; a _reminder_ to stay on the right track.

Admittedly, the Head of the particular Summons would have proved far useful, given his size, but the previous time Sasuke had called for him it was to his demise and for Sasuke's personal safety.

"_Kuchiyose no Jutsu_."

A _pop_ of smoke emerged and Sasuke calmly removed his hand from the ground, patiently waiting for the white residue to disperse before he clearly looked down upon a small, brown and black-spotted snake, its dark eyes staring up at him expectantly as its tongue flicked in and out.

Akemi frowned and stepped away while Raiden's brow quirked.

"Investigate what's through those trees," Sasuke stated bluntly as he pointed a finger towards the Twisted Valley, "Bring back anything that you find. You have half an hour."

The snake blinked, bobbed its head once, and then slithered without a word into the darkened foliage. Sasuke stood, following its trek with his eyes until its tiny form disappeared from view.

"Good idea, Sasuke-san," Raiden finally commented, "Perfect size to travel through there also."

"…What if something happens to it…?" Akemi asked.

"I will release the Jutsu if it doesn't arrive in the given time and then summon it again," The Uchiha explained; inwardly knowing that Sakura would have scolded him for being so callous with his Summons; he sighed, "Now, we wait."

* * *

Sakura frowned as she swiped her arm across her forehead, feeling the sweat cling to her skin uncomfortably. Her emerald eyes remained transfixed on the display of her and comrades' numerous attempts through the Twisted Valley, noticing that they had only successfully plowed through a few meters into the darkened brush. She was currently seated on a raised root, a water bottle clutched in her right hand.

"This…" Souta sighed as he dropped tiredly to the ground beside her, "…This is _not cool_."

The Medic couldn't help but heavily exhale her own agreement. Dai stood nearer to their alcove of charred and splintered branches and tree limbs, examining their labor with a deep frown and furrowed brows. Sakura switched her gaze to her large Battle Axe, resting beside her. It had been their most recent method of cutting through and it proved pretty successful with her added strength – unfortunately, it fatigued her more with both the force of her hacking and the continuously expended chakra.

However, their team was encouraged that the process had allowed at least five meters into the Valley in just twenty minutes – as opposed to the inches they accomplished with their Fire Jutsu.

"I don't think we'll be getting through today," Souta lamented solemnly, "…What a disappointment."

"…Don't give up yet," Sakura offered softly as she stood from her seat and dropped her water bottle atop her pack.

Souta's chocolate eyes tracked her movements watching with curiosity as the Leaf kunoichi removed her black gloves from her hands and pocketed them in her belt.

"Chakra…Chakra…" Sakura whispered thoughtfully to herself, "Something…_Something_ is causing the difficulty to break through. Elemental affinities have at least _some_ effect…It's only _more_ effective when they're combined. But we noticed…" Sakura stepped forward and touched the bark with her bare hand, feeling the muted energy within, "…We noticed that when I performed it alone – with my Battle Axe – we got farther in…"

"Yeah…" Souta cut in thoughtfully, "_Why _is that?"

"Elemental affinities use chakra, but it's a _manipulated_ chakra," Sakura explained, "But when I was using my Axe, I had been using _raw_ chakra, not only in the _strength_ of my throw but on the _blade_ of my weapon…And I think _that_ is what _disrupted_ the energy running through these trees…"

"…_So_…?" Souta started, listening intently, noticing that Dai was also examining her as she spoke her theory aloud.

"So," Sakura continued as she curled her fingers tightly into a fist, "If I channeled all my chakra towards the _blade_ of my Axe rather than channeling it to the _strength_ of my strike…Or remove my Axe altogether leaving _only_ my raw chakra…Then the disruption…" Sakura cranked her hand back, blue chakra bordering her fist before she threw it forward, feeling her bare knuckles make contact with the bark of the tree and feeling it splinter _easily_ under her assault; the momentum of her attack brought her at least a meter forward, her chakra-bordered fist breaking the barrier without too much resistance.

Dai's navy blue eyes widened and Souta's jaw dropped with both disbelief and awe.

Sakura smirked as she eyed the destruction of her single fist, standing straight up as she examined her opened hand with new vigor, "Then the disruption of chakra causes it to break." She turned to regard her comrades, smirk a little wider, "It's almost like a shinobi's chakra network. If someone's chakra were to enter my chakra network my body would rebel against it. If the invading chakra is stronger than mine then my body will shut down – it won't stand a chance. Since my chakra is so controlled it holds more power which easily overwhelms it – that's why I was able to break through." Looking back to the Twisted Valley she tilted her head in wonder, "This forest is like a chakra network. You _are_ alive…aren't you?"

"…So you're saying you're the only one who can cut through this place…?" Souta asked; he blinked at her, "Wow…You're _awesome_, Sakura-nee-chan."

Dai smiled and Sakura blushed, shaking her head before scrutinizing the recent pathway created, holding up her palm and allowing green-chakra to now coat her hand and elongate into a chakra blade, "No, I'm sure there are others. Medics, like myself, who have similar chakra control. A Hyuuga, possibly, with the use of their _Juuken_ fighting style could break through," She sliced her newly created chakra-scalpel, grinning when it cut cleanly through the branch – the wind currents strengthened and howled so she took a step away, allowing the scalpel of her hand to recede, "Medical Ninjutsu and the _Juuken_ fighting style affects the chakra of its targets. While my scalpels can also cut through skin and bone it can also cut through chakra and nerves _without _severing skin and bone, that is, if the chakra is controlled enough. Essentially I'm controlling my chakra to cut through skin, bone, _and_ chakra which is probably why I'm able to cut through these trees. I'm pretty sure it's _chakra_ that's making it so difficult to cut through…"

Souta blinked again, "…Wow…Okay then! So now we have a way to get through!"

"It's _a way_," Sakura agreed, "But there might be other ways too. Perhaps even an _army_ of Narutos using _Rasengan_."

"You think he's tried yet?" Souta asked eagerly, excitement brightening his eyes.

"Maybe," Sakura voiced, "But, whether he has or hasn't, we'll need to find him to work together. I can't cut through it alone; my chakra reserves are limited. Kasumi-san and Shin-san could help; you mentioned that they know basic Medical Ninjutsu? Their level of chakra control will probably be sufficient enough."

"We'll have to radio contact them," Dai informed, "Unfortunately, we're out of range. If we want to gather together we'll have to split up – someone to notify Shin at Point _D_ and someone to head to Points _A_ and _B_ to let Kasumi and Raiden know too."

"Before we split up or call anyone…" Sakura began pensively as she stared at the small opening that took half a day to create, "…There's something that's been bothering me…Something that I really think we should check out."

Dai tilted his head, questioning, "What's that?"

"That trail," Sakura answered strongly as she locked gazes with him, "The one at the Rain Border Village; the one we found beside Yoshiro-san's blood tracks. I remember it being so _clear_ and…even _inviting_; if that makes sense. It had led to a particular entrance at the Twisted Valley's edge…"

Dai's brows immediately furrowed with memory and Souta looked between the two, completely lost from the conversation.

"Perhaps it was another trap?" Sakura asked softly, "They've stated before that they _want_ me. Did they _want_ me to follow the trail? Did they _want _me to find them?"

"…It's really creepy how much attention they're putting into you, Sakura-nee-chan…" Souta voiced softly.

"It is," She agreed, frowning, "And I'm starting to really think that _that's_ what they wanted me to do the first time I found the trail. They _wanted_ me to go in there. I think they even placed Yoshiro-san's blood tracks to _separate_ me from _you_, Dai-san."

"What if I followed the _Creature_'s trail instead?" Dai asked.

Sakura shrugged, "It was a fifty-fifty chance. Besides…" She frowned contemplatively, "…A part of me didn't want to follow Yoshiro-san's blood trail. It covered everything I owned; I heard his dying screams…I unconsciously didn't want to follow the path of his death. Instead, I think I was more curious of the _creatures_ that attacked us; I was more interested in the mystery of what I was thrust into…"

"They can't know _that_ much," Dai argued, "They can't be smart enough to _predict_ your decisions."

"Maybe not…" Sakura whispered, "…But they seem intelligent enough to manipulate fear. Your comrades fell to it with their taunting whispers and haunting laughs. Yoshiro-san fell to it by leaving the safety of his Hospital Room," She closed her eyes, remembering the time Sasuke had helped her sleep; remembering the emotions evoked seeing Naruto in pain and the Stone shinobi brutally killed at the Patrolling Facility, "They arouse reaction and fear out of us…It's their greatest weapon…And they know how to _use_ it…"

Souta audibly gulped. Dai remained silent by the truth of her words.

"I think we should check it out," Sakura said, walking up to her Battle Axe and returning it to its Summoning Scroll, "It's our best bet…I can feel it…"

"It's in Shin's section," Dai pointed out, "And the trail may have disappeared already."

"I left markings, just in case," Sakura assured, "We'll be able to easily find it from the air."

Dai nodded, "Then we'll use Torio," He turned his gaze heavenward, tracking the sun's position, "This may be a new lead. And there won't be enough time for everyone to meet up. We'll just check it out, meet up with Shin's team, and fill everyone in when we meet back at _Base_ tonight."

Souta nodded, "Alright. Sounds like a plan!"

* * *

"We've wasted our entire time scanning our damn perimeter…And we've found _nothing_! Not a _damn_ thing!" Akio glanced through his shaggy, red bangs towards the sky, frown deepening on his lips, "And even if we _did_ find something, we only have about _three hours_ before we have to head back!"

"No one said this was going to be easy, Akio-san," Kasumi responded calmly. Her icy blue eyes remained on the Twisted Valley, arms crossed over her chest as she examined the little progress her and her team had accomplished.

"Well, Isamu was right when he said it was going to be a heck of a lot _frustrating_," The teenager muttered.

"Uzumaki-san," The older woman acknowledged softly, opting to ignore the grumbling youngest of the group, "Any thoughts?"

Naruto sighed with a shake of his head before he pushed off the trunk of the tree he had been leaning against, "All I can tell you is what I found out through my Sennin Mode. It's chakra that's preventing us from cutting through as easily as we should be…I'm not sure of a way to get past it."

Kasumi blinked up at the skies, "Perhaps the others have found a way to get through."

"I _hope_ so," Akio grouched, leaning his chin into his palm; he sighed heavily and cast his sights to the floor, "I just–I just want us to start getting _somewhere_, you know? No more dead-ends, no more questions – just _answers_, or even just new leads. I'm sick and tired of getting _nowhere_."

Naruto observed Akio's facial features slacken from the earlier irritation he had been expressing. He recognized that the boy _was_ tired – far more tired than a boy his age should be. When he shifted his attention to Kasumi he noticed no real shift from her apathetic features but her light blue eyes were slightly dimmed – the motivation shining there before lessening with continued time and failure.

"We'll only get nowhere if we stop trying…" Naruto stated as he turned and began walking towards the Twisted Valley's edge. When he was only a few meters away he took a comfortable seat on the ground and closed his eyes. Kasumi looked on with mild curiosity and Akio tilted his head in confusion.

"So…" The blonde began conversationally, "What do _you_ make of this, Kyuubi?"

Naruto could feel the slight shift in his chakra, heard the derisive snort and growl echo in his head, "Now _the brat seeks my help._ _What makes you think I'll give it_?"

Naruto shrugged, though his lips twitched into a tiny smirk, "Sorry for not asking sooner; thought you might like to sit back and enjoy the ride, as usual. Besides, whatever _this_ is has an effect on the both of us. Think you got an explanation for it?"

"…_You're referring to your teammate's test in the Patrolling Facility_," The Kyuubi recalled distastefully, "_The only thing that can affect my chakra like that is another Demon's chakra or a chakra source equally as powerful._"

"So you're saying it could be another Demon – a Tailed-Beast?" Naruto asked, brows furrowed with concern.

"_Or '_a chakra source equally as powerful'_, don't you listen, brat_?" Naruto scowled half-heartedly, but didn't retort, "_That chakra, the one that is making it difficult to get past those damn branches, it's old – really old. Ancient chakra that's as old as or even older than _me."

"But you don't know what it is?" Naruto pressed.

"_It's not a Tailed-Beast, that's for sure; we took care of those when we fought Uchiha Madara_," Kyuubi answered flippantly, "_But I can't tell you what Ancient chakra it is either. Before humans harnessed and used it, chakra was everywhere, grew into many forms, and is found in many things. Until you find the source, you won't know what it is. I sense it, it's familiar, but I don't it make a point to memorize every chakra signature I come across._"

"Wow, you're a _huge_ help," Naruto complimented with dripping sarcasm.

"_I could_ _stay silent, boy_," The Nine-Tails threatened.

Naruto pursed his lips, "Okay, so what about this, Kyuubi – do you think all this stuff that's happening is a _Curse_?"

Kyuubi snorted once again, amused, "_Chakra is a fickle thing, Naruto. Powerful, yes, but can be manipulated in so many ways. If Orochimaru was able to bring people back from the dead, then I don't see how impossible it is for nature – which is the same age as chakra – to influence it also. Anything's possible…It's a matter, however, to keep the balance._"

"And to keep the balance that means we got to stop it from happening," The blonde stated, "But to do that, we need to find out what's on the other side of this Valley. Your chakra's powerful, Kyuubi, think you can break through it?"

"_Using my power will only obtain the same results as the Patrolling Facility_," The Fox answered somewhat sulkily; "_You'll have to avoid using my chakra when facing these _creatures_. The chakra they use clashes with mine and I don't know what will happen if you happen to use it again and for a longer amount of time. It could kill you._"

"How?" Naruto asked warily.

"_I'm contained _within_ you, boy_," Kyuubi answered condescendingly, "_Proximity causes my chakra to take away their chakra and their chakra to take away mine. Too much of it going in and out of your body will lead to a rather…messy consequence._"

"Oh," He grimaced, "Well, any other ideas on how to get through this maze of trees? How about if I summoned Gamakichi – or even Gamabunta! He's _huge_, one step and we can get through–"

"_I doubt an Animal Summons will help you_," Kyuubi interrupted.

"What? _Why_?" It was getting frustrating that all his ideas were being shot down.

"_You don't know what's in there and what that Ancient chakra can do. Haruno already mentioned that the _Creature_ cannot touch a human, do you want to take that chance with one of your toads?_" Kyuubi sighed, growling softly as it stretched out his body in his limited space, "_Sending a Summons in there is a bad idea. Their chakra pattern is similar to my own. If _I_ can't do anything, I doubt they'll be much help either._"

"So what the hell do I do?" Naruto muttered as he crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at the twisted limbs just meters away from him.

"_Think, kid_," Kyuubi answered, exasperated, "_It's all you _can_ do until you figure something out._"

Suddenly, Naruto grinned, an idea materializing steadily in his head as he recalled their past attempts in breaking through the dense foliage.

The chakra. The flow of movement. The defense mechanism cushion.

Kyuubi followed his train of thought and nodded his approval, "_That might do it_."

Naruto grinned, standing up and putting his hands together in a single seal, "Okay, let's try it then!_ Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!"

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, it's Saturday, I'm **ONE DAY LATE…+SIX MONTHS! **_**I'm so sorry!**_ It's been a pretty hectic past six months – I mean, two jobs, an internship, tennis, moving into a new place, holidays…_**Life**_ pretty much, blah. _I sincerely apologize _for the long wait! But, **good news**, your next update for _**The Curse**_ will be between tomorrow and next Saturday. This update took so long because I had some serious **Writer's Block**, but now that I've plowed through it, updates should be coming along much more quickly! And the _**scares**_, I _**can't wait until I get to the SCARES**_, **Muhahahahaha**!

**SO**…Please let me know what you guys think, even if this chapter was very **filler**…**Next chapter will be MUCH BETTER! PROMISE!**

**On Another Note:** Please re-read the Chapter 15: _**Patrol Duty (Part**** II)**_. _Nothing_ has been changed but some readers are confused so I'm going to elaborate. **Team Kakashi, Sai, and Hinata **are heading to Earth Country to meet with the Tsuchikage. **Karin** is staying behind in Konoha as head of the **Research Team**. She isn't traveling with the others. But she will be relaying her findings to them and Team Seven through Hawk Communication - or at least, that's what Tsunade has planned. Readers have been thinking that Karin is traveling to Bird Country, but she's not. Just wanted to make that clear so people aren't confused when POV changes to Kakashi, and Karin isn't there.

**An Extension to That Note:** Kakashi, Sai, and Hinata haven't made an appearance yet because they are still traveling to Earth, which is pretty uneventful. It's only been a day since they got Sakura's report and it's about a 4-5 day travel time to get to Earth. I'm being realistic with time and stuff here, so keep in mind that I didn't forget about Kakashi and friends, it's just not relevant yet. Besides, this is more Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto focused anyway. So, just wanted to clarify!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto and Company.

**Next Chapter:** _The Twisted Valley (Part II)_

**Next Update: **Between **1/8** and **1/16**

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**Thank You To Those Who Read And Review! You're AWESOME!**

**Oh!** One last thing! Anyone got a _**Twitter?**_ I made one for the sole purpose of making friends who have the same interests as me (Naruto, Inuyasha, Fullmetal Alchemist, Final Fantasy VII, Anime in general), let me know, I'm open to new friendships and whatever, up to you, just **PM** me or drop a **review! **Happy reading everyone!

**Oh!** And I plan on sending out some **Pokémon (AAML)**, **Fullmetal Alchemist (EdWin)**, and **Final Fantasy VII (CloudTifa)** Fictions too, so if you're FANS, please check them out! :)

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_**LotzaLove!  
Len83  
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	19. The Twisted Valley: Part II

**The Curse**

_**Chapter Nineteen: The Twisted Valley (Part II)**_

Sakura pursed her lips as she glanced up at the darkening skies, pushing her legs faster with a burst of chakra, her lithe figure easily hurdling through the Tri-Point Forest, her breath escaping her in quick _puffs_. She could hear Dai keeping up with her at her left and four paces behind. The occasional shadow passing overhead reminded her that Souta was airborne – atop Torio – his chocolate brown eyes on the lookout for their specific destination.

"We're running out of time," Dai stated, brows furrowed together as he examined the setting sun, "It's likely we'll be staying in the Rain Border Village tonight."

"As long as we have the protective ofudas," Sakura answered, determination pushing her faster, ducking under low branches, taking advantage of her flexibility as she squeezed through tight obstacles, "We can't turn back now, we're too close."

Dai sped up to match her stride, a smirk touching his lips, dark brown hair whipping around his face, "Now, who said anything about turning around?"

Sakura quirked a brow at him, slightly surprised by the sudden appearance of the witty side of his personality. In fact, she noticed a light shining in his navy eyes – something she could only discern as excitement and _eagerness_. Turning away from him, the medical kunoichi could only suspect that this new direction they were taking – this new _lead_ – was giving the Bird Chuunin a newly revived sense of _hope_.

A slight frown pulled her lips. Memories of the previous day – the discovery of the lonely house marked with the name _Makoto_ – still plagued her. This _hope_ she was seeing, Sakura didn't know where it was directed and that uncertainty kept her tightly wound with wariness.

_Secrets_ always haunted Sakura. It caused chasms between people – distrust, suspicion, tension. Secrets had caused Sakura to make stupid decisions – like heading out to kill Sasuke on her own. Secrets left Sasuke in the dark about his family's – his _brother_'s – past. Secrets made Naruto an outcast in the Village he was born and raised in.

The outcomes of kept secrets – in Sakura's experiences, at least – made her understandably cautious. And when it came to complete _strangers_ it was difficult for her to create some sense of security and reliance.

Makoto Daisuke was keeping something from her and her teammates. Until he shed light on whatever shadows he kept tucked away, Sakura couldn't find it in herself to be comfortable with him.

'_Should I just _say _something?'_ She thought, torn; she bit her bottom lip, unsure, _'Say something and risk some kind of argument or disagreement? Or stay quiet and let him tell me when he's ready? Is he even going to tell me? What could he be hiding? Kami, this is so _frustrating!_'_

Sakura's inner musings were disrupted by an eagle's cry which was immediately followed by the static of her communication's radio, _"Target is spotted; I see the location, guys! Wow, Sakura-nee-chan, you really did some damage."_

"How much farther, Souta?" Dai asked, pressing into his device.

"…_Eh, I'd say about another mile,"_ The youngest responded, _"Pretty close to the Rain Border Village…Strange, we're almost at the end of the Tri-Point Forest and we haven't run into Shin-nii-san…"_

A slight _cackling_ overlapped Souta's transmission, lasting several seconds before a smoother voice filtered through, _"Souta? Dai? What are you doing in this section? Is something wrong?"_

Before Dai could respond Souta was quick to answer for them, _"Shin! Hey, hey! Guess what! We found a way to get through the Twisted Valley! Sakura-nee-chan is so cool! She can break through! I saw it! And now we're heading somewhere that might be a possible entrance! And it's in your section, Shin! Where are you? Where are you? Come meet with us!"_

"That kid," Dai muttered as he shook his head. After a soft sigh the brunette tapped into his device, _"Hey, Shin. How's your progress?"_

"_We've got nothing;"_ Isamu answered shortly, his breathing a little labored, _"Fire Jutsu are useless and even Takeru-san's Earth Jutsu aren't giving us any breaks – literally!"_

"_Your signal is strong,"_ Shin noted, _"You're nearby."_

"_Yeah!"_ Souta exclaimed, _"Where are you guys?"_

"_The Rain Village Valley – where they built their new Bridge,"_ Isamu answered, _"Thought there might be clues, or maybe an opening. No such luck. But you guys said you have a way to get through? Sakura-san, you're awfully quiet; you figured it out?"_

"_Heck yeah, she did!"_ Souta interrupted eagerly once more – prompting Dai to roll his navy eyes, _"Head over to where we are; we have a new plan!"_

Sakura couldn't help the amused smile that twitched at the corners of her lips. Splintered bark and the beginnings of a pathway towards destruction caused her to slow in her running, breaking through a final wall of loose foliage into a clearing where Souta was excitedly speaking into his radio. Torio sat readily at the younger boy's side, eyes trained on the Twisted Valley's edge, brown and white feathers fluffed with attention.

"_We're on our way,"_ Shin stated, _"Don't do anything until we get there."_

"You got it!" Souta affirmed, clicking off his device and fervently examining his surroundings. He narrowed his brown eyes on the arrows Sakura had created into surrounding tree trunks days prior, pointing towards the dense greenery. He took a step towards the downward sloping darkness only to be stopped by Dai's firm hand on his shoulder.

"Hold it, kid," He asserted gravely, "Your excitement is getting the better of you."

"But–" He began to protest.

"_Souta_," Surprisingly, it was Sakura who had spoken the boy's name sternly. Dai's and Souta's gazes immediately snapped towards her, unnerved by the piercing, emerald stare she gave them. Her eyes shifted to Souta – the younger gulping when her glower narrowed, "Just because we have a new lead _doesn't_ make it any less dangerous," Her features softened slightly, "I know you're excited, but don't let it cloud your judgment."

Souta pouted but still looked ashamed, so he nodded his head and stepped up the slope, back into the safety of the sun-lit clearing. Sakura exhaled heavily as she placed her bag against the trunk of a nearby tree, staring up at the sky while blowing stray strands of pink hair out of her vision.

"We have an hour and a half, _at most_," Sakura declared firmly as she looked straight through Dai's navy eyes, "And we're not going to make this trip out for nothing. I vote for initial exploration – _two people only_ – and one of those two includes _me_."

Dai frowned, "Isn't that a little…_dangerous_, Sakura-san?"

The Medic shook her head, "It's dangerous sending everyone in there in one-go. That's a bloodbath waiting to happen."

"But they want _you_, Nee-chan," Souta pointed out, "That's like giving them what they want on a silver platter…"

"It's a risk, I know," She agreed, walking towards the downward slope and inspecting the thick verdure, "But in an _hour and a half_, I'm quick and small enough to cut through, and my chakra control is an advantage also."

"Then let _Shin_ do it," Dai suggested, "At least he's _fought_ these things."

"_I'm_ doing this," Sakura responded firmly, leaving no room for argument, "_You_ asked for my help and _I'm_ giving it. Let me do the job you called me here for."

Sakura would admit that it was her earlier frustrations towards Dai that was making her so adamant on the decision. She understood his reasoning – the logic – there was for Shin to go into the Valley to investigate. But she didn't want any more secrets. Being directly involved gave her some ground – maybe even some leverage – and it could also put her own revolving questions at a halt also.

Souta and Dai remained silent for several moments. The youngest looked back and forth between his elders and Dai scrutinized Sakura critically before taking a deciding breath, "…I'm going with you."

Sakura shook her head, "No."

"_No_?" He questioned, slightly challenging.

"Souta stays," Sakura elaborated – earning a pout from the boy – she pointed at the floor, "Shin stays just in case something bad happens and a Medic, other than myself, is needed. Takeru stays because I doubt he'll willingly work with an outsider like me. _You_ stay, Dai, because not only can you activate ofudas but…" She sighed, "…But because everyone looks to you as a leader. This may be a _lead_, but like we've established before, it's a _dangerous_ lead…I'm not going to let _my_ idea, my _position_ as the _creatures'_ fixation, be the reason for you getting _killed_."

Everything stayed silent for several moments. Sakura didn't want to meet their stares. It was the truth. A part of her knew that distrust in Dai was also a factor for her to not choose him but a larger part, a part that _hated_ that these _creatures_ wanted her, didn't want anyone to be dragged down – _killed_ – because of her.

Perhaps it was because Naruto had fought for _years_ – fought to make a _promise_ come true – _for her_. A selfish part of her didn't want to be the cause for people's pain, and Dai was a source of people's happiness and _hope_. She wouldn't – _couldn't_ – be the reason for that hope to be distinguished.

"…Then…" Souta started softly, "…Then that leaves, Isamu-san, right?"

Sakura nodded her head, "…Right."

Dai ran a hand through his shoulder-length locks and looked down the slope into the darkness beyond, "…Fine. We'll do it your way," He turned his head, regarding her seriously; "You'd better make it out of there, Sakura-san – _alive_."

The Medic gave a half-hearted smirk, "I wouldn't want to leave that place any other way."

* * *

Akemi wouldn't stop fidgeting.

…It was _annoying_.

Sasuke's Summon hadn't been gone _half_ the time allowed, yet it seemed like _hours_ since the Uchiha had sent the slithering reptile on its errand. The team had chosen silence while waiting. Raiden had walked off to stare into the foreboding darkness of the Valley, arms crossed over his chest and lips pressed firmly together with thought. Sasuke stood a little ways behind the white-haired male, leaning against a low branch of a tree, left hand stuffed in his pocket and right hand resting against his Kusanagi hilt.

The red-haired kunoichi had perched herself atop a large boulder, rhythmically tapping her fingers against her knee, right foot shaking with impatience, and olive eyes darting frantically between the Twisted Valley and the swiftly setting sun, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. Occasionally, a sigh – or _some_ noise of frustration or unease – would emerge from her person, and Sasuke fought the urge to roll his eyes or glare at her.

"Twenty minutes…" The teenager muttered under her breath as she stared at the maze of shadows and branches, "Ten minutes left…Come on little snake…" She looked up at the sky and her brows creased together in concern, "…Less than an hour…Until night falls…" Her head whipped around to look behind her, crimson pigtails flying, "Everyone should be on their way back now…" She looked back towards the sun, "…Less than an hour…" Another quick, albeit shaky, exhale left her, hands wringing together, "Come on…"

"Akemi."

Her head immediately snapped up, dark green eyes wide, entire body tensed for fight or flight, fingers already curled tightly around her twin sai. Sasuke turned his own head to regard Raiden, the older male's body slightly twisted to face the youngest of their team.

"You need to calm down," Raiden stated, though his dark eyes were softened, his lips curled fractionally in a reassuring smile, "You're getting yourself worked up over nothing. It's still daylight," His gaze flickered briefly to Sasuke and his grin widened a little more, "And you're in the company of _Uchiha Sasuke_."

Sasuke looked away from Raiden, decidedly ignoring the older man as he searched the Valley's edge for any movement from his Summon.

"I'm _not_ getting worked up!" Akemi denied, snatching her hands away from her weapons' holsters to cross her arms over her torso, "And daylight is _dying_ if you haven't _noticed_! A-And…" Her stare waveringly flitted to Sasuke and then back to Raiden, "And being in Uchiha-san's company doesn't _mean_ anything – u-um, no offense…"

Sasuke continued to ignore the pair and their pointless conversation.

"It actually _does_ mean something, Akemi," Raiden commented offhandedly, "Sasuke-san is quite a formidable shinobi. I'm sure you learned about the Fourth Ninja World War a couple of years back. He, Haruno Sakura, and Uzumaki Naruto played an _integral_ part in its conclusion."

"I _heard_," Akemi defended herself, olive eyes flicking uncertainly between the silent Uchiha and the teasing Akiyama, "…But _this_ isn't a _war_. _This_ is _different_," Her voice, Sasuke noted, had become a little stronger – a little more firm, "…They haven't shown me anything _impressive_ yet."

"_Yet_," Raiden pointed out with a smirk, "You haven't seen anything impressive _yet_."

"…Why do you put so much faith in these outsiders, Raiden? You _and_ Dai," Akemi asked, giving no care for subtlety or the fact that Sasuke was only feet away from her, in clear listening range, "I admit that outside help is necessary for our _case_ but maybe Takeru is _right –_ you're putting too much trust in _them_."

Sasuke's onyx eyes had gone unfocused, his sense of sight disregarded in favor of listening to the change in the Bird shinobis' discussion.

Raiden merely shrugged, dark eyes still trained on the Twisted Valley, broad arms still crossed over his chest, back still turned to the curious teenage girl that stared at him with question, "Tell me this, Akemi: How many time have our calls for help been answered?" When silence was Akemi's response, Raiden turned his head, smirk once again lifting his lips, "I know you asked yourself those same questions, Akemi. Why did they stay once they found out Daisuke's intentions? Why did they stay even after witnessing and interacting with this – with _our_ – _Curse_?" He rolled his shoulders and balanced on his heels before grinning and turning back to the tangle of twisted tree limbs, "…Their answer is why I trust them. Simple as that," He shrugged again, "Maybe it shouldn't be so simple…But I'd like _one_ thing to be since everything else isn't."

Sasuke shifted his gaze slightly to glance at Akemi only to find her staring at her lap, looking thoughtful and reminiscent. Transferring his attention to the sun, Sasuke took a step forward, removing his hand from his pocket only to be stopped by a soft, hesitant voice.

"So…" Akemi started, olive eyes piercing through his dark ones, reminding the Uchiha of similar irises, only lighter, brighter, a lot warmer, and more trusting; she bit her lower lip, "…What _is _your answer?"

He continued to stare at her and she bravely met his gaze. In his peripherals Raiden was also glancing back at them, curious.

After several silent moments Sasuke broke his gaze, bit into his slightly healed thumb, and knelt down, palm flat on the floor.

"We have work to do," He stated simply, already pouring chakra into the fanned out seals under his outstretched hand, "It's been forty minutes."

He didn't notice the way Akemi's lips curled into a hopeful smile and how Raiden's smirk widened a little more. He allowed chakra to course through his fingertips and determination to harden the lining of his jaw.

Uchiha Sasuke didn't have a solid answer.

"_Dismiss_."

But he had a solid reason.

These _creatures_ were out for one of his teammate's blood and his other teammate's demonic chakra.

"_Kuchiyose no Jutsu_."

Uchiha Sasuke wasn't going to let them have it.

* * *

Naruto glanced up at the darkening skies, squinting against the setting sun as the dying light painted the heavens purple and orange. He frowned with the knowledge of their limited time before panning his gaze towards Akio and Kasumi.

"We all understand what's happening?" Naruto asked seriously, "We all know what to do?"

Akio nodded firmly as he lifted his two scythes in preparation, brows drawn in concentration and olive eyes hardened upon the Twisted Valley, "Got it."

Kasumi nodded once, her icy blue eyes also observing the darkness of the Valley, one hand removing a silver rod from her belt while the other removed a sack of water from her back, "Yes."

Naruto watched the older woman extend the narrow rod until it was a few meters long before impaling it in the opening of the water sack. With growing fascination, Naruto examined as Kasumi gestured a string of hand seals, mumbling quietly under her breath before removing the rod from the canvas container. One slender hand performed a graceful flourish and the water followed and swirled around the freed rod's tip before it glowed a bright blue and crystallized into a solid sharpened point.

Blinking, Naruto shook his head before switching his stare beyond Kasumi and Akio towards a group of shadow clones, standing ready for instruction. Behind him, the blonde knew another group of his copies were awaiting orders also.

"Alright," Naruto grunted as he turned to face the maze of tree branches, "We've got one shot at this. I just hope it works."

Crouching low, Naruto outstretched his right hand and could see his clone begin to mold chakra above his opened palm. In pairs his other duplicates began to copy his actions until the amount of wind chakra being utilized in the area began to affect the shift in the natural wind currents.

When the chakra in his hand was completely formed Naruto was quick to leap forward, dangerous hand cranking forward, his clones at his immediate left and his clones farther down at his right – passed Akio and Kasumi – following his lead, "_Rasengan_!"

Impact immediately met resistance; however Naruto's eyes began to take on a golden hue as the clones left behind – after creating the Rasengan – gathered natural energy for his Sennin Mode. He could see the chakra begin to swarm towards his and his clones' simultaneous attacks, the bark breaking a little more quickly than times tried before.

His golden eyes darted to his right, watching the chakra continue to separate through the trees' many branches – one path towards the group he was with and the other path towards the group on the other side of his comrades. Just as he suspected, the chakra dissected – _divided_ – until the path remaining – the path in front of Akio and Kasumi – was completely freed from chakra.

Naruto's unlimited – _powerful_ – supply of chakra was a _diversion_.

"Now!" Naruto yelled, pushing his hand further into the repelling bark.

Akio only gave a short nod before darting forward with raised sai, slicing through the first layer of twisted branches with ease, earning a smirk of triumph from the younger male.

"It's working!" He shouted, already hacking away as much as he could before Naruto's attack wore out.

Sweat began to bead on Naruto's forehead as he fought to keep his Rasengan alive, though he could feel the chakra waning at his fingertips. His clones were struggling also. He would have to pull back to create another Rasengan since it could only hold for so long, especially when he was also concentrating on multiple copies and their respective Rasengans also.

Kasumi had joined Akio at the Valley's edge, cutting through the foliage with her ice blade, her eyes narrowed, darting around warily against the darkness as she and the red-headed male continued to cut further in.

"Alright, I need to pull back!" Naruto warned over the sound of chakra slicing slowly against bark.

Both Akio and Kasumi nodded with acknowledgement before they pulled back, watching Naruto and his clones move away from their barely damaged sections. They shifted their observations to Akio's and Kasumi's progress, uplifted to see that they had cut through at least a solid ten yards.

"Okay," Akio urged as he danced on his feet, rearing to continue, "Let's try again! We'll get through in no time!"

Kasumi rested her hand on his shoulder, halting his movements, her light blue eyes regarding the sun, barely touching the top of Earth Country Mountains, "We don't have time, Akio," She turned her head, wavy, platinum-blonde hair swaying with her movements, "The sun is setting and Shin, Raiden, Dai and their teams should have been at our position by now if they had left at their required time."

Naruto frowned, already concerned, "Do you think something went wrong?"

Kasumi looked a little troubled herself as she continued to gaze eastward, "…It would have been no surprise if Shin's team and Dai's team did not arrive – they are closest to the Border Village in Rain Country. Raiden's team, however, would have returned to Bird Country since they are only two hours away."

"If that's the case, why isn't Raiden's team here then?" Naruto questioned, worry settling deeper in his stomach.

"Shin and Dai would have sent word through Summon communication if they were to stay in the Rain Village," Kasumi replied, "The other options are if they found a pathway through the Twisted Valley _or_ they or Shin's team have run into trouble…"

"So what do _we_ do then?" The blonde questioned; not feeling comfortable, especially since he was separated from his teammates.

"We return to our Village in Bird Country," Kasumi responded simply, "We stick to the initial plan. We can't offer any help when nightfall is so close and we're still hours away."

Before Naruto could verbally protest, Akio stepped forward, "_Or_ we can keep cutting through! We still have enough time, we'll only have to pick up our pace heading back. Come on; let's see what's on the other side, guys!"

Akio's eyes were glued to Kasumi, hopeful, and Naruto's stare was also directed at the older woman, trying to read her. He watched as her light blue eyes traced the Tri-Point Forest towards the east, where the rest of their comrades were also searching, before panning to Akio, her lips opening to answer before her eyes quickly darted to the side and her arm reached out, curling around Akio's shoulders and spinning him around so that her back was to the Twisted Valley, hand free from her spear already moving into the obi of her kimono that both confused and alarmed Naruto.

Naruto's royal blue eyes switched to their newly created pathway, heart leaping against his ribs as he discerned a dark silhouette standing beneath the darkened alcove, quiet and staring. The ground – at the entrance – was littered with shadows from the trees' canopies but the blonde could see movement. He could see shadowed hands slowly inching towards them with the sun's setting.

Before Naruto could _do_ anything, Kasumi's free hand emerged from her kimono, throwing with impressive accuracy a kunai attached with a sizzling paper bomb. The projectile entered the niche of the Valley, landing at the foot of the shadowed newcomer, exploding seconds later with a flash of bright light.

Slightly disoriented, Naruto felt a firm grip on his arm before he was tugged away, feeling his Sennin Mode fade away with the forced dismissal of his shadow clones.

"Our time is up," Kasumi stated as she led both Naruto and Akio in the direction away from the Valley.

"But the sun hasn't even set!" Akio countered – disappointment clearly laced with his words.

"The Valley protects them, the shadows protect them," Kasumi replied grimly, "The further we go in, the further we enter their domain."

"And do the others know about this?" Naruto growled as he looked over his shoulder – the Valley and the _creature_ far behind, "They could be in trouble!"

"We all speculated this," The woman answered, "They are aware," She looked up at the sun, a quarter of it covered by the mountains, "We are done for today. Soon the Tri-Point will not be safe."

* * *

Sasuke's frown deepened as he stood from his crouch, onyx eyes intently staring down at the unmoving form lying on the forest floor. Akemi, who had hopped off her perch on the large boulder, leaned over, resting her hands on her knees as she studied the two objects that had appeared upon the Uchiha's summon. The black and brown-spotted scales were pale and dark crimson was smeared across it in thin streaks.

"…It's…_dead_…" Akemi whispered as she stepped away from the reptile, unconsciously taking a stand beside Raiden, arms crossing over her chest protectively.

"Poor thing," Raiden uttered softly, "Ripped apart," He looked up to the quiet ex-Avenger, who was staring at the deceased snake silently, "Apologies, Uchiha-san."

Sasuke blinked before crouching again, hovering a hand thoughtfully over the snake's body from end to end.

"I wonder what happened in there…" Akemi whispered as she stared unsurely back at the entrance of the Twisted Valley, "I wonder what it found…"

"Fingerprints," Sasuke examined as he traced the streaks of blood, "These blood tracks are tiny, smaller than if I had made them."

"A _Corpse_ child?" Akemi offered unsurely.

"Or the _Little Girl_ herself," Raiden suggested.

_SNAP!_

Three heads immediately whipped towards the Twisted Valley. Akemi's hands were quick to her belt, pulling her sai free as her olive eyes darted around the darkened landscape. Raiden's arms uncrossed from his chest, black eyes narrowed as he examined the dense foliage, concentration evident on his expression. Sasuke slowly stood from his crouch, right hand resting on the hilt of his Kusanagi, his dark irises also tracking for any movement.

"Do you see anything–?" Akemi started in a soft, fearful tone, only to be interrupted by Raiden's silencing hand.

Another wave of Raiden's hand signaled for Akemi to stay back before he began to edge closer towards the darkness, scanning the tree line with necessary caution. Sasuke unsheathed his weapon a fraction as he shadowed his comrade at the slightest indication of the older male needing any help. For several seconds everything was completely quiet – completely _still_.

Sasuke could feel his shoulders begin to coil with mounting tension. Raiden took another step forward. The wind shifted – cold and fleeting.

"…Northwest…" Raiden directed, barely above a whisper, "…One hundred and twenty degrees…Fifteen paces…"

Sasuke followed the low-toned instructions, another fraction of his Kusanagi removed as his eyes adjusted to the unsettling darkness.

"See it?" Raiden asked softly.

He did. Sasuke could see the startling, pale white against the shadows of the Valley, covered by twisting limbs and branches and the thick trunks of the withered trees. Narrowing his eyes he traced the faint shape of the object, jaw clenching tightly as it shifted, confirming his suspicions that the mysterious object was indeed a _hand_.

One blink and the hand was gone, a flash of white their only warning before Raiden was quickly shuffling backward, keeping his body in front of Akemi's and brandishing one of his broadswords.

"I see movement!" The white-haired male shouted, "Get back! Get back!"

Sasuke removed his Kusanagi fully, the adrenaline beginning to pump through his veins which caused his Sharingan to activate. The white form moved quickly through the tangled trees and stopped behind the first barricade of branches, staring at them intently, watching as the group of three stopped a good distance away from the darkened area.

"It's the _Little Girl_…" Akemi stated with a tremble, her right hand clenched around the back of Raiden's shirt, "The sun hasn't set yet. How is she _here_?"

"It seems it's dark _enough_," Raiden answered, "The sun's setting so the light isn't as strong. The darkness of the Twisted Valley is helping it also."

'_Blood…'_ The wind seemed to whisper. The _Little Girl_ smiled a wide blood-stained grin and Sasuke glared at her, not doubting that the blood probably belonged to his unfortunate summon.

"There's nothing more we can do," Raiden stated, taking another step back, prompting Akemi to do the same given her tight hold on him, "It's already beyond the time we were supposed to head back…"

Sasuke's brows furrowed, "Then where are the other two teams. Their arrival would have signaled our own departure."

Raiden frowned, "That's true," His eyes never strayed from the _Little Girl_ still staring at them, but his hand blindly followed his collar before pressing into his radio, "Dai? Shin? Do you copy? Are you on your way back?"

Silence was their troubling response. Sasuke knew there was the possibility of any of those teams heading to the Rain Border Village to take shelter for the night. Another part was concerned that they never arrived at their safe haven.

"Dai?" Raiden tried again, "Shin? Do any of you copy?"

'_They won't answer you…'_ The child whispered with obvious amusement, _'They will be _ours _soon…'_ She giggled gleefully.

"Yours?" Akemi asked, worry pinching her expression.

'_Yes!'_ The _Little Girl_ exclaimed, "Ours! _Soon. Very soon!'_ She turned her head to look at Sasuke, her grin widening even further, eyes swimming with insanity, _'We're going to have her. You have _lost_.'_

The Uchiha instantly knew who she was referring to and his Sharingan spun with increased anger, his hands already moving hastily into several hand signs before bringing a hand to his lips, "_Katon: Gouryuuka no Jutsu_!"

As opposed to the large fireball he had practiced for hours on with Sakura, three consecutive dragon head-shaped fire projectiles emerged from his mouth and collided violently in the general area of the _Little Girl_'s position. He ignored the child's outraged screams as he turned towards Raiden, expression severe.

"We're going after them," He snarled – his rage directed at the situation rather than his comrades, "They're in trouble."

'_You'll be too late…'_ She whispered above the roaring flames mockingly.

Raiden frowned, his gaze switching quickly from the setting sun to the blazing inferno in front of him, then to Akemi's fearful eyes and Sasuke's intense ones; after several moments he nodded decisively, "Alright, let's go."

"They're _hours_ away," Akemi started, "It'll get dark. And what about Kasumi-san! What if _they _go after _us_?"

"She won't," Raiden assured as he led Akemi further away from the Valley's edge, "We went over this, Akemi. And it might get dark but we've survived it before."

"_Barely_!" Akemi screeched.

"There's a faster way," Sasuke stated, biting into his thumb and crouching down, eager to get moving as he watched an array of symbols fan out beneath his palm once more, "_Kuchiyose no Jutsu_."

"What can a _snake_ do?" The young girl cried out, clearly in a panic.

"Not a snake," Sasuke answered calmly, standing up as the smoke began to clear.

The three looked up at the massive figures, two pairs of dark eyes regarding them silently before two pairs of wings spread wide, dark brown feathers ruffling as the winds shifted.

"Hawks," Sasuke stated bluntly as he hopped on one's back, signaling Raiden and Akemi to mount the other's, "We fly."

* * *

"Are you absolutely sure about this, Sakura-san?"

Sakura pocketed her gloves before placing her long hair in a high tail, making sure her vision was unobstructed. She blinked up at Shin who had taken her bag and was staring at the downward slope into the Valley with a concerned frown.

"If I wasn't, would I volunteer myself?" Sakura asked, smirking in assurance as she glanced at the sun, making sure she still had an ample amount of time to do an effective exploration.

"If something goes wrong…" Shin started.

"Isamu-san has flares, we'll send a signal," Sakura responded, "We'll head back at the first sign of trouble," She paused and then looked straight through Shin's grey eyes, completely serious, "If we don't return in the given time…Leave without us."

Shin looked reluctant to confirm their deal but nodded his head nonetheless, "Yes, as we agreed."

"Good."

Isamu walked forward, pulling up his long sleeves before running a hand through his shoulder-length golden locks; his grin was full of excitement, "Ready, Sakura-san?"

"This is a _bad_ idea," Takeru grumbled, his hardened features disapproving as he glared at Sakura, Shin, and Dai, "We don't _need_ their help! Do they know what they're looking for? Do they know how to fight these things off? _No_. They're going to _die_."

"Well, thanks for the vote of confidence," Isamu laughed half-heartedly, earning another glare from the oldest shinobi.

"This _was_ Sakura-nee-chan's idea," Souta muttered under his breath, annoyed, "It's not _your_ call."

"Stop fighting," Dai sighed, "We're running out of time."

"We're going," Sakura responded briskly, already descending the slope, followed closely by Isamu. The kunoichi was freed of her heavy bags and large scrolls for better movement, armed only with necessary medical supplies, kunai, and explosive tags.

"I've got your back," Isamu added with a smirk, "Just say the word."

The medical ninja offered a grateful smile before reaching the foot of the slope and the first barricade of branches. She raised her hand, allowing chakra to mold along her arm up to her fingertips where green chakra sharpened into long scalpels. After a deep, readying breath she sliced through the first obstacle, grinning triumphantly to find the same successful results as before as well as earning an impressed whistle from her blonde companion.

"Souta was right," He commented, "You sure found a way to cut through."

Sakura raised her same arm, clenching her hand into a fist and allowing the green chakra to shift into a deep blue, "And we're just getting started."

Taking a deep breath, Sakura raised both her arms, concentrating a majority of her chakra into her clenched fists, and let loose a flurry of jabs and punches, occasionally throwing a chakra-laden kick. Her eyes darted in keen awareness, scrutinizing every splintered branch, every shift in shadows, and every increased meter of progressive distance. Behind her, Isamu trailed close, keeping track of her blind spots just as they discussed.

Sweat began to bead at her temples and Sakura blinked green eyes against the darkness, especially since they were now submerged deep within the Twisted Valley with very little sunlight breaking through the thick canopies above them.

'_This maze is never-ending…'_ Sakura thought dismally as she felt her knuckles snap easily against bark.

"Twenty minutes in," Isamu updated, hand on her shoulder as she continued pushing forward, "And you've already cut through almost a hundred and fifty yards," He chuckled, "_Amazing_."

"How deep do you think this Valley is?" Sakura asked, grunting as she punched another few meters forward.

"…Who knows?" The Rain Ninja responded thoughtfully, "From all the patrols I went on in the air all that can be seen are _trees_…I guess it's just a matter of what's hidden _under_ them…"

"Well," The Medic growled with frustration as she worked in a harsh uppercut, "All we've found so far are _just trees_ and it's getting pretty freaking annoy–_Whoa_!"

Sakura pitched forward, her right fist hitting thick branch and then _nothing_, her body moving on momentum with the loss of expected resistance. Isamu's grip on her shoulder tightened, steadying the kunoichi as she stumbled, her left hand flying forward to hold onto an intact branch for balance.

"What is it?" Isamu questioned hurriedly, looking over her shoulder.

Sakura narrowed her eyes, brows drawn together as she adjusted her vision to the blinding _blackness_ in front of her. Only a few branches obstructed her entire body from moving forward and it took no effort for Sakura to snap them in half, allowing her one final step into the darkness. She lifted her foot, curious, but was stopped by the hold that remained on her shoulder.

"It could be a trap…" Isamu whispered and Sakura realized just how _silent_ their surroundings had become, "It could be _anything_."

"That's what we're here to find out," Sakura replied just as softly.

"And you're going to risk your life doing it?" Isamu reasoned, "We only have another twenty-five minutes left until the sun sets _completely_."

"_Ten minutes_ is all we need," The kunoichi pressed, impatience crawling up her tense spine, "We haven't found anything substantial yet. We should at least go back to the others with _something_."

There was silence as Isamu's piercing grey-blue eyes stared into determined green before he sighed in resignation and removed a rope from his belt, "_Fine_, ten minutes Sakura-san, then we go _back_," He rolled her eyes when she smirked triumphantly, "If I die because of you, I'll make sure to _haunt_ your ass."

"Your threat is noted," Sakura acknowledged as she took one end of the rope and wrapped it around her waist, tugging it securely after the other end was wrapped around his.

Taking a steadying breath Sakura removed a flare from her pouch, lit it, and held it in front of her with a precautionary kunai knife. After a quick tap of readiness from Isamu, Sakura stepped forward into the darkness and felt her heart pick up as the winds shifted, howling loudly in her ears. Ignoring the wails of the surrounding trees, Sakura continued, the flare breaking through the blackness, mapping out a clearing with several large branches that she and Isamu had no trouble crawling over and under. It was only a few minutes of walking before they noticed a soft blue glow a few yards ahead.

"What could _that_ be?" Isamu questioned, blonde hair whipping around his face from the persistent wind currents.

Sakura picked up her speed, the rope around her waist going taut against Isamu's more cautious steps. Climbing over the last thick root of a tree Sakura stopped, examining with growing astonishment a new clearing, lit up by the light blue glow of – what looked like – _mushrooms_. They grew only a few inches high but were clustered in groups, lighting up the area more so than her small, red flare. She panned her gaze, noticing a wall of foliage as their new obstacle and a pond of water a little off to the side, beside the towering wall of vines and branches.

"That…doesn't look as easy to get through as the first time," Isamu observed, frowning, "Please don't tell me this was all for a _dead end_!"

"It looks like it," Sakura sighed, clearly disappointed as she walked up to the wall and touched it, noticing packed earth and tightly twisted limbs of bark, "This is way too dense for me to break through. There's not enough time and if I punch through it and there's earth, then the rocks and dirt can easily collapse on top of us…"

Isamu ran a hand through his shoulder length locks, frustrated, "Then I guess it's back to home base then, huh?"

"…I guess…" Sakura agreed in reluctance as she knocked against the wall before turning back towards him and their exit, "_Damn it_…" She sighed, "Let's go."

Isamu turned and began to lead the way back, igniting his own flare to help light the way. Sakura followed him, her lips pressed together tightly, brows sharply furrowed, eyes sweeping across the clearing, examining the clusters of glowing mushrooms and the still waters of the pond.

"Wonder how _this_ news is going to affect _The Group_…" Isamu muttered, shaking his head, "You know, this really _sucks_–oof!"

Isamu whirled around, heart spiking with worry for the dead weight that prevented him from moving forward, grey-blue eyes immediately narrowing with confusion to see Sakura standing firm, hand holding the rope – to effectively stop him from moving – and eyes trained intently on the slightly illuminated pond.

"Sakura-san?"

"…We should check in there."

Confused, Isamu switched his gaze between the kunoichi and the pool of water, "Um…What?"

"Haven't you noticed?" Sakura asked, soft enough that Isamu believed she could be talking to herself, "_Wet_ trails…Left behind by the _Creature_. It's not just blood, it could be water too."

"But…water?" The Rain shinobi pointed out slowly, "A pond of water? And you're going to just…_jump_ in?"

Sakura looked at him, expression blank, "Why not? We've got ten minutes left. I can do it in _five_."

"You're _pushing _it, Sakura-san," Isamu warned gravely.

"Risks need to be taken," She answered just as seriously, already walking towards the small body of water and tightening the rope around her waist, "You stay here and be my anchor, this rope is a good fifteen feet long, enough just to _explore_ what could be down there."

"It's probably just a _hole_ filled with water," He pointed out, following after her grudgingly.

"Then there should be _nothing_ to worry about," The Medic countered wittily.

"Nah," Isamu replied with an exaggerated flick of the wrist, "It's you _actually being_ _right_ that I'm worried about."

"Three minutes," Sakura stated as she stepped into the sloping pond, wading deeper towards the foot of the wall of foliage, "If you don't feel a tug or any signal in _three minutes_, then you have my permission to forcefully pull me out."

Isamu sighed but spread his legs in a firm stance and held the rope ready with both hands, "_Fine_. But if anything suspicious happens _back here_ with _me_," He looked around the glowing clearing wearily, "Then I'm pulling you back out, regardless of whether it's been three minutes or not."

Sakura nodded, "Alright."

"Don't die in there!" He warned, his hands around the rope tightening with anxiety.

Sakura smirked, "I won't."

And then she held her breath and submerged herself in further darkness.

* * *

**A/N:** _Hi Everyone_! So I **apologize profusely, a million times forever** for making you wait so long for this measly 15-page chapter. _**I AM SO SORRY**_! Yeah, as I've stated **so many times before**, life has just been a whirlwind of activity. I recently moved and was promoted at my job so writing hasn't been a priority. It also doesn't help that I was at a writer's block for this chapter. But now that I've gotten through it **and I'm sorry if this chapter sucks**, hopefully updates will become more frequent. _**Because after this chapter, the pace of this story definitely picks up**_. So thanks everyone for your patience and support despite my long absence, I really appreciate it and thank you! _**You are all so AMAZING**_!

**Note:** Along with _**The Curse**_, stories also taking priority for me will be _**Vengeance**_, _**Psychotic**_, and _**Rehabilitation**_. I may be looking for _**beta-readers**_ for other stories like _**Missing in Action**_ and _**False Façade**_ but that's not as high on my list at the moment. I also want to finish my mini-series _**The Road of Touch; The Road to Feel**_ ASAP. _**It All Started With **_is _officially _on **HIATUS** and _**Forbidden Bonds**_ is on the backburner. I have a few **one-shots** in mind as well as a series called _**Teamwork**_ coming out – but I might need some help with that too if anyone wants to **PM** me. We'll see, since I'm starting to get back in the thick of things.

_**And YES, I DID sign up for SASUSAKU MONTH 2012 but EVERYTHING became too hectic to finish up my fictions, but I'll post up my stories of the same prompts as soon as I can, even if not in the month of July. :)**_

I look forward to hearing from all of you though, it's been **so long!**

**Next Update:** _Chapter Twenty: The Twisted Valley (Part III) _I am aiming _**within the next seven days**_. Because I'm writing more after I post this! _**YAY!**_

**Thank You to all readers and reviewers! You're the BEST!**

I have a **Tumblr** now, called **SincerelyLen**. It's more of a **personal blog** if you're interested, but I have a few fiction recs and quotes I will put up and reference also. My **Twitter** was a _**fail**_ since there's only so much I can say in a small box. **Blogs** are more my thing. Add me if you'd like?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto and Co.

**Please Check-Out My Other Fictions!**

**Updates Soon to be POSTED!**  
_**The Curse  
Psychotic  
Missing In Action  
Vengeance  
False Façade  
The Road of Touch; The Road To Feeling**_**  
A NEW STORY – **_**Confinement**_**  
AND EVEN MORE TO COME!**

**Thank You To Those Who Read And Review! You're AWESOME!**

_**LotzaLove!  
Len83  
aka  
Luvinukag83**_


	20. The Twisted Valley: Part III

**The Curse**

_**Chapter Twenty: The Twisted Valley (Part III)**_

Sasuke narrowed his eyes against the wind whipping against his skin and through his dark hair. One hand held firm to the strong feathers of the hawk below him while the other tightly gripped the hilt of his Kusanagi, knuckles stained white from the strain. His dark irises shifted to the right where another large hawk flew, steered by Raiden who was held tightly by Akemi.

The white-haired male connected his equally dark eyes with Sasuke's, nodding his head before bringing up a hand to his collar, _"This is Raiden calling Team Dai and Team Shin; do you copy?"_

Behind Raiden, Akemi pressed her forehead tightly into the space between his shoulder blades, olive green eyes shut tight as she shook her head back and forth, mouth moving in a series of quiet mutters and mumbles. Her hands occasionally clenched and unclenched into the front of Raiden's shirt, a shudder wracking her body when the hawk she was riding on dipped before leveling out again.

"_Daisuke? Shin? Do you read me? Does anyone read me?"_

Sasuke panned his gaze to the left, frowning as he noticed barely a fraction of the sun visible behind the peaks of Earth Country's mountains. The skies were painted a bright orange and red, fading out into a deep, dark blue towards the East.

"_Shin? Dai? This is Raiden! Come in!"_

They had less than half an hour left before there was no sunlight _at all_.

"_Souta? Takeru? Sakura-san? Does anyone copy?"_

There was a loud _cackle_ of static response that caused Sasuke's heart to stutter, head snapping around to view Raiden and Akemi once more. The older male was fiddling eagerly with his radio, trying to attain a better connection and Akemi's olive eyes were wide open, looking at Raiden's collar and connecting earpiece with obvious hopefulness.

"…_We copy…"_

Sasuke's jaw locked and he tapped his Summon's neck in a gesture to go _faster_. Raiden's dark eyes narrowed, releasing his efforts on his earpiece and leaving it alone, a deep frown pulling on his lips. Akemi shut her eyes tightly and resumed shaking her head against Raiden's tense back.

"…_And we told you…"_

The Uchiha wanted to rip the communications device from his ear but wouldn't risk the opportunity to gain connection with Sakura and her teammates; even if it meant having to listen to _their_ taunts and laughter.

"…_We __**told**__ you…They're __**ours**__ now…"_

* * *

Sakura blinked against the murky darkness, frowning as the water stung her eyes. Feeling around her surroundings her right hand brushed against the rock wall of the pool before using it as a guide around the area, figuring out the pond's dimensions. She explored the walls for a couple of seconds, descending deeper into the pool, before her hand swiped against nothing but water.

It was an alcove, or rather, a _tunnel_ that led somewhere deeper and farther than what fifteen feet of rope provided. Curiosity, however, left Sakura to venture as deep as she could. She felt along the tunnel as she swam another couple of feet, examining for any other type of opening or form of exit.

A tug against her waist caused Sakura to frown. She was sure she had only been down there for less than two minutes; she couldn't have already met the three minute mark, had she? Another, more incessant tug pulled against the rope and a fear for Isamu at the other end had her rethinking her exploration.

There was a third, _rough_ tug, and Sakura reluctantly turned back the way she came.

"…_Haruno Sakura…"_

Sakura's heart jumped and the surprised gasp that left her caused bubbles to fly from her mouth and distort the image of a floating, transparent-white girl just _feet_ away from her – swimming towards her with a smile on her face.

"…_Haruno Sakura…"_

Her voice was soft and fleeting. Sakura tried to swim backwards, away from her approach, but Isamu's tugging at the other end of the rope was pulling her in the apparition's direction.

"…_Haruno Sakura…"_ She held out a pale white hand, outstretched in a gesture of cupping her cheek, her smile sweet and even _soft_, _"Don't be afraid…"_

Sakura struggled against the pull of the rope around her waist which was bringing her ever closer to the girl. Her green eyes widened as she noticed that the closer she got, the closer this wispy form resembled that of the actual _Little Girl_; dark hair, dark eyes, pale skin – a demon hidden behind _false innocence_.

'_Don't touch me!'_ Sakura screamed in her head, kicking her legs as much as she could against Isamu's stronger pull, _'Get away!'_

The form's brows furrowed lightly, smile faltering, but she continued forward, hand still outstretched, _inches _from Sakura's face, _"Don't be afraid…Because you can save us…You, Haruno Sakura…Listen…Please…"_

A scream of bubbles erupted as the pale-white hand connected with her cheek, freezing _coldness_ seeping into her skin. Her eyes widened in complete _fear_ as she stared into bottomless irises. The apparition smiled widely and Sakura felt her lungs give out, blackness creeping into her vision, consciousness leaving her quickly. Her body was being pulled more easily without her struggling, her figure cutting through the white specter, plunging her in a completely freezing cold and pulling her awareness into oblivion.

Before everything became darkness, a soft voice whispered in startling clarity, _"Haruno Sakura…You can save us…And I can help you…Look for me. Find me. Please."_

She blinked blearily, her body moving at the whim of the rope around her waist, _'Who are you…?'_

"…_My name is…"_

* * *

Naruto stared out at the Tri-Point Forest. His sapphire eyes scanned the edge of obscured foliage darting to every shift and shadow within the verdure. His vantage point from the Patrolling Facility's roof helped with a more panoramic viewing but he cursed the fact that the sun's descent meant complete darkness.

It was a sign that his teammates weren't back yet. It would be absolute nightfall and they would still be in the Tri-Point – they would still be _in danger_.

"…Three…" Akio continued to mumble under his breath; he was standing a few meters away, fidgeting with his weapons, olive eyes snapping between the setting sun and the quiet forest, "…Two…One…"

The sun's light disappeared, already hidden behind Earth Country Mountains and below its rocky horizon. Within minutes, the fraction of sky mixed with orange, gold and red became nothing more than a deep, navy blue.

"Damn it," Akio cursed, throwing a fierce glare at the swaying trees, "Where the hell are you, Akemi?"

The wrinkle of the red-headed boy's brows betrayed the worry veiled beneath anger.

Keeping his body turned towards the forest, Naruto shifted his blue irises to his right, watching from the corner of his eye as Kasumi stood rigidly a few yards away, arms limp at her sides but hands fisted with tension. Her light blue eyes were clouded with anxiety even if her facial features didn't express it.

"We can't just _sit_ here," Akio grunted, running an aggravated hand through his shaggy hair, before throwing the same arm out towards the forest, "My _sister's_ out there! The…_only_ family I have left! We have to do _something_!"

"…Going in there will only get yourself killed, Akio…" Kasumi answered calmly – a response that only sparked an annoyed growl from the teenager.

"At least I would be doing _something_!" The boy retorted, shouldering his pack before walking off towards the roof's exit, "Screw sitting around here waiting for everyone to _die_!"

"_Akio_," Naruto had never heard the woman's voice so firm and he couldn't help but turn to look at her, seeing her icy glare, before turning to Akio who had frozen at the tone of her voice, "_No_."

"…_Why not_?" Akio asked quietly; seething.

"We do not stand a _chance_ against those _creatures_," Kasumi answered, "Your fire Jutsu do not compare to Raiden's or Daisuke's. My Jutsu have little effect. We do not have the advantage of Summons. We may be _strong_ Akio, but going out there without a plan or the knowledge of their whereabouts is suicidal."

Akio's tensed shoulders wilted the more Kasumi spoke until his pack fell limply to the floor at the end of her logical reasoning.

Naruto closed his eyes, "Huh…Well, I might not know any powerful Fire Jutsu. And Summoning is a bad idea anyway – according to Kurama. _But_ I've got a plan. _A__nd_ I can find out where they are."

Akio instantly turned around, olive eyes hopeful, "A plan?"

Naruto smirked before he nodded his head. Moments passed before he opened his eyes; orange markings surrounding them and his irises shifted from sapphire to gold. He turned to Kasumi, who blinked in quiet surprise at his transformation.

"Raiden-san said you have ofudas?"

Kasumi blinked again before slowly nodding her head, "Yes."

"Do you know how to make them?"

Her brows furrowed slightly, "I do not make them often, but yes, I was trained by both Daisuke and Raiden."

Naruto looked satisfied before shifting his gaze back towards the Tri-Point, "I feel them…Everyone is alive."

"And Akemi?" Akio asked quickly, anxiously moving closer to the blonde, "Is she okay?"

Naruto nodded in affirmation before closing his eyes to better hone his concentration, "The majority of them are near the Rain Border Village. And Sasuke and his team are closing in on them pretty fast," His brows wrinkled and a frown pulled at his lips, "They're all surrounded by the _creatures_…and _even more_ are headed for them."

"It's a fucking ambush…" Akio whispered, his body crumpling to the ground as he stared helplessly towards the East.

"…I'll need you to make some ofudas, Kasumi-san. Can you do that for me? And quickly?"

Kasumi hesitantly reached for her pouch, removing a stack of blank papers, "Of course, but–"

"Then make as many as you can," Naruto instructed in interruption as he clenched and unclenched his hands which rested atop his knees, "And then I'll need you to teach me how to fill it with chakra and how to activate them."

Swiftly taking a seat, Kasumi hastily got to work, though her brow was drawn with confusion, "Uzumaki-san…What are you planning?"

The blonde gave a shaky smirk, "I'm going out there. Our friends are outnumbered. And using my shadow clones to distract the enemy and draw them away can help them escape."

"What do you need _us_ to do?" Akio asked eagerly, already gripping his scythes in preparation.

"…You and Kasumi-san are going to wait here…" Naruto answered, "…If my initial plan doesn't work then I'll have to resort to my backup. If it comes to that, you two _can't_ be near me when it happens. It'll be too dangerous."

Akio stared at him, confused, "What's your back up plan? What do you mean by _dangerous_? I don't get it."

'_You're making a risky move, Brat,'_ Kurama whispered in his head knowingly, _'This could kill us.'_

Naruto snickered half-heartedly, "Haven't you learned? I don't die that easily."

Akio was lost on the inward conversation, "Huh?"

Naruto shook his head, dismissing the questioning look the red-head threw at him before standing up and dusting off his orange pants, "No time to waste," He patted around his belt before removing an oddly-shaped kunai, "I don't use this technique often – not really my style since I have Sennin Mode – but I really hope the bastard or Sakura-chan remembered to pack the counterparts with them…"

Akio eyed the three-pronged weapon curiously, "What's that?"

The blonde grinned as he spun the object around his index finger, "A gift from my old man. I use it for emergencies."

"Thirty ofudas," Kasumi informed as she took a stand beside him, hand outstretched with a stack of recently painted slips of paper, "…I'll teach you how to fill it with chakra…and how to activate it."

Naruto caught the kunai in his hand before nodding in all seriousness, "I'm ready."

* * *

Isamu pursed his lips, watching as the last remaining ripples, where Sakura had disappeared, faded until the water was still once more. His fingers around the rope he held tensed, calloused skin keenly aware of every coarse fiber digging into his palms. In his head he began to count down from one hundred and eighty seconds, even allowing an occasional whistled tune to help break the unnerving silence around him.

"…This is a _bad_ idea…" Isamu whispered to himself as he scanned the clearing with grey-blue eyes, staring at the glowing mushrooms with a raised brow of curiosity, "What a _strange_ place…"

Blonde locks of hair fell into his vision and Isamu shook his head to remove it from view, not _daring_ to release the rope in his hands. He followed the length of the thick, brown cord into the pond of dark liquid and absently envied how long the Leaf kunoichi could hold her breath.

"I can barely do _two minutes_," Isamu muttered to himself, voice echoing in the quiet.

It was nearly one hundred seconds of unbearable waiting when the leaves in the overhanging canopies shifted. Isamu blinked, shoulders growing stiff as he listened for anything ominous, his hands slowly beginning to pull back the rope before it grew taut, and gave it a quick, warning tug.

The Rain Ninja turned his head, scanning the surrounding trees with furrowed brows and narrowed eyes. The air currents were beginning to pick up again and he could hear…_howling_. Not the same wailing of the winds but _actual howling_ followed by incoming, heavy steps that were growing louder and louder with dwindling distance.

"Oh _shit_," Isamu swore as he tugged on the rope more incessantly, cursing again when he felt resistance, "Time's up, Sakura-san, _come on_!"

_SNAP!_

Isamu stopped moving, stood completely rigid, before slowly crouching low, removing a kunai explosive from his belt in the process. He could hear heavy _pacing_ behind him underlined by a rough growl and grunt.

_Huff. Huff. Huff. Huff._

That wasn't _his_ breathing.

He twisted his head ever so slightly to look over his shoulder. _One_ massive shadow treaded just outside the open area of the clearing, hidden behind twisted limbs and branches. He breathed a sigh of relief with the knowledge that he wasn't outnumbered, but that advantage could easily be taken away. He had to work _fast_. Unfortunately, slow was the only speed he could go so he wouldn't startle the _creature_ behind him into action. He resumed his pull on the rope, pleased to feel no struggle from the other end.

"Nice and easy…" He whispered.

When Sakura's pink head broke the surface of the water Isamu became aware of two things in a matter of seconds: the Leaf medic was unconscious and the _howling_ and stomping had returned, heading _straight for them_.

"Definitely a _really bad idea_!" Isamu yelled as he hoisted Sakura out of the water and roughly into his arms, rolling out of the way just as sharp claws missed his head by _inches_.

He ignited the kunai paper bomb in his hand, throwing it in the direction of the pond, where the beast's splashing could be heard, and didn't waste any time pushing chakra into his legs and running with all he had back to the exit.

"Sakura-san, can you hear me?" Isamu called worriedly, shaking her shoulder as he ran and hearing the distinct sounds of being followed behind him. Panic settled deeper into his gut when Sakura's head lolled unresponsively, wet tresses and clothing soaking through his own, causing his skin to break into a cold sweat, "Come on, Sakura-san, wake up!"

_GROWL._

Right behind him! Isamu ducked, throwing his left arm over Sakura's head in protection, a yell tearing through his mouth as sharpness sliced cleanly along that same arm, blood splattering across his face and onto the floor. The winds shifted, blowing wildly though his hair and Isamu blinked back the pain, gritting his teeth as he stared at the wide laceration across his bicep, pulsing crimson liquid in steady streams. His heart rate increased as the red trickling down his arm ignited a unified cry across the Forest – a cry that he recognized as a mob of incoming _Corpses_.

"Fuck, fuck, _fuck_!" The Rain shinobi grunted as he looked up, glowering at the massive form blocking his escape. The light at the entrance Sakura had created with her petite fists shadowed the beast's features, "Come _on_!" His hiss was challenging as he propped the woman against his chest, freeing his hands, "_Come at me_."

Even yards away it towered over Isamu's crouched form; hairs bristled as it marched the space they needed to get through to escape. Its red eyes glowed in the darkness, snarling loudly with sharp, pearly teeth. Another painful hiss broke through Isamu's clenched teeth, his arm throbbing and his heart rate picking up when the tell-tale sounds of shuffling feet and dreadful _moans_ echoed behind him.

"Blood-thirsty _corpses_ behind me, hungry monster blocking the _only exit_ – perfect, just _perfect_," Isamu muttered as he started creating a series of hand signs; he looked down at the kunoichi in his arms, "Though I guess I won't complain about being the hero saving the pretty girl."

_GROWL!_

The beast charged and Isamu finished his hand seals before removing a flare from his belt, struck it against the ground – successfully lighting it with a _sizzle_ – and quickly brought the red-glowing object up to his mouth.

"_Katon: Rekka no Jutsu_!"

Heaving a deep breath, Isamu blew into the spark lighting the flare and watched as it blasted forward into a tornado of fire, colliding violently with the massive creature and consequently causing a pained _yowl_ to escape its salivating mouth, its large body rearing back on its hind legs.

"Time to go!" Isamu grunted as he hauled Sakura's body more securely into his arms before taking off past the howling monster, "Come on, Sakura-san; wake up!"

He looked down and frowned at the dark blood on his arm that had transferred across her face and through her wet hair. Sweat was beading at his brow as he watched the blood continue to flow freely down his throbbing limb. He looked up and could see the entrance of the Valley.

Just a few more meters!

Vision beginning to blur and spot with darkness, Isamu pumped as much chakra as he could into his legs and feet, spurred on by the sounds of death and danger behind him.

* * *

"_Come in Sakura-nee-chan; come in Isamu-san; can you hear me?_"

Dai couldn't stop moving, pacing a four-meter diameter as he ran an aggravated hand through his hair. Souta sat cross-legged a few feet away, brown eyes intent on the downward slope Sakura and Isamu disappeared behind, speaking urgently into his radio. Shin stood beside the youngest, grey eyes also panning across the Twisted Valley's tree line, a concerned frown pulling at his lips. Takeru was scowling, looking up at the darkening skies, arms crossed over his broad chest.

"That's five minutes until the sun sets," The oldest shinobi pointed out gruffly, "Enough time for us to get back to safety in the Rain Border Village."

Souta glared over his shoulder at Takeru, "We're _not_ leaving them behind!"

"No," Takeru agreed scornfully, "You _let them_ _go_ on a _suicide _mission. Those kids are _dead_. They're _not_ coming back!"

"Calm yourself, Takeru-san," Shin warned firmly, narrowed gaze sliding towards the scarred male.

"I _am_ calm," He replied fiercely, throwing his arms out, "As a matter of fact, I think I'm the only one in this group thinking _logically_!" His eyes switched to Dai, who had stopped pacing to look at the Twisted Valley, his back facing him, "What _good_ did it do calling in those strangers, Dai? That's _two_ _more_ you've added to the list of _dead_! And when that Rain brat's _country_ finds out, when that girl's teammates find out – when the _Hidden Leaf_ finds out – even more chaos will follow! You've just put Bird Country in an even _worse_ position by bringing those outsiders here!"

"_SHUT UP_!" Souta yelled, getting up to his feet and throwing a kunai in his fury. The projectile flew across the clearing, embedding deeply into the trunk of the tree Takeru had been leaning against, an inch from his left ear. The boy's breathing was heavy; unapologetic for his actions as he glowered straight into Takeru's narrowed eyes, "Just…_shut up_."

Everyone was silent.

The sun set completely.

"…We should just _go_," Takeru urged impatiently, "Night has already come and they haven't returned."

"It doesn't mean they're dead," Shin reasoned, though his body was tensed as the shadows around them grew darker.

"What do you expect us to do?" Takeru asked, "To _wait_?"

"You're free to leave, Takeru," Dai finally spoke, voice low and steady, "No one is stopping you."

"It isn't wise to split up," Shin countered; he sighed, eyeing the Twisted Valley warily, "Sakura-san and I agreed that if they didn't return, we would leave – without them."

"Let's just wait a little more," Souta pleaded, "A little longer! They'll be back; I _know_ it!"

"Check the radio again," Dai instructed.

"They didn't answer the last _twenty_ times!" Takeru growled, "What makes you think–?"

"_Just _check _the radio_ _again_," Dai interrupted darkly.

Souta nodded his head, already pressing into his device.

Takeru ran a hand through his slick-backed, grey-tinted hair, a humorless chuckle falling past his lips as he shook his head, "You lot are being so _stupid_–"

_HOWL_!

Everyone froze.

"…What…" Souta started quietly as he stared off at the swaying canopies of the Valley, fingers unconsciously releasing his radio wire and earpiece, "…What the heck was that?"

"Okay," Shin instructed softly, "Stay alert; weapons ready; eyes open…We're heading out."

Souta's head snapped towards him, "_But_–"

_HOWL_!

"No arguments," Shin responded over the nearing cries, his hands already removing a scroll from his belt.

"_Wait_!" Dai whispered sternly, right hand raised up for silence as he stepped towards the downwards slope, brows furrowed with concentration, "Listen…"

Souta licked his lips as he searched the space with heightened awareness, eyes adjusting to the growing darkness around him. No one moved a muscle, straining to hear what Daisuke had.

_Huff. Huff. Huff. Huff._

Breathing. Quick. Labored.

_Crunch-Crunch-Crunch-Crunch._

Footsteps. Hasty. Crushing the dried leaves resting against the ground.

"Come on, come on, come on…"

Muttering. Labored. Strained.

Souta's eyes widened with recognition and Dai was already standing at the peak of the slope, staring down at the darkness of the Valley's entrance with apprehension. In a matter of seconds Isamu's form came shooting out of the Valley, blonde hair whipping around his face as he climbed up the incline, covered in blood and clutching an unconscious Sakura in his arms.

His wild, _wide_ grey-blue eyes connected with Daisuke's navy irises before one word tore through his mouth, "_RUN_!"

As if on cue, a mob of _Corpses_ flooded out of the created entrance of the Valley, chasing after the Rain Ninja on unsteady but quick legs, moaning with desire, hands outstretched in readiness.

"_Shit_! They're coming from all sides!" Takeru shouted, "We're _surrounded_!"

"Everyone get _close_!" Dai yelled, one hand gripping Souta's shoulder while the other pushed Isamu away from the Valley's edge once he reached the peak of the hill, "Shin – ofudas!"

"I have them," The dark-haired male affirmed as he removed the mentioned items from a back pouch, "Daisuke, Souta – hold them off. Takeru-san – we need protection."

"_Katon: Hirappa_!" Dai shouted.

"_Katon: Endan_!" Souta yelled simultaneously.

They each brought their hands to their lips, fire spewing forth from both their mouths in violent rushes and colliding with the approaching mass of _Corpses_, effectively stopping them in their tracks – if only just briefly.

"_Doton: Doryuu Heki_!" Takeru slammed both his palms into the ground which consequently caused the floor to shake and a barrier of rock and dirt to rise up several feet, closing the group within four walls.

Shin immediately threw several ofudas against the earthen partitions before completing the team execution with a series of hand signs, "_Fuuinjutsu: Nijuu Kekkai_."

"We're _dead_," Takeru muttered as he watched the paper seals glow a bright, light blue, eyeing their rock and stone protection doubtfully as the _Corpses_ began to pound incessantly on the other side, "This isn't going to hold."

"We have to keep calm," Shin reminded as he swiftly checked the seals before looking upwards. There was no roof to cover them and they could clearly see the starlit sky above. The walls were high enough that prevented the _Corpses_ from climbing over, and he made sure their ofudas were positioned so that nothing _else_ ominous could drop in from the opening above.

"UGH!"

Isamu had dropped to the floor, Sakura still clutched in his arms, but he was sweating profusely, groaning with clenched teeth, eyes shut tightly with obvious pain. Dai and Souta were immediately at his side.

"What _happened_ in there?" Dai questioned urgently, navy eyes sweeping over the duo's disheveled states, before landing on the deep laceration across the Rain Ninja's left arm.

"What happened to Sakura-nee-chan?" Souta shouted worriedly.

Isamu shook his head, ignoring his own pain in favor of shaking the kunoichi in his arms, "Sakura-san, wake up!"

His large hands pushed back her wet hair from her face before sliding down her cheek to her neck, feeling along in search of a pulse. Dai did the same with her limp wrist while Souta put an ear to her mouth.

"Her pulse is weak," Dai informed gravely.

Souta pulled back, brows drawn with panic, "_She's not breathing_!"

* * *

"…It's quiet…" Akemi whispered as she leaned her cheek against Raiden's broad back, her olive eyes gazing up at the luminescent moon, "…_Too _quiet…"

Raiden nodded his head in agreement, coal eyes scanning the still forest, aware that they were between five to ten miles away from the Rain Border Village, "Moon's out and the skies are _clear_. No mist. No noise. _Nothing_."

"…I don't like it," Akemi confessed, "What if the _Little Girl_ lured _us_ into a trap while Shin and Dai and their teams are safe in the Rain Country Village?"

"…It's a possibility…" Raiden replied, eyes sliding to his left to observe Uchiha Sasuke. The Leaf Shinobi was quiet as he directed his Hawk Summon, eyes spinning black and red with the infamous Sharingan, and jaw locked with determination, "…But I don't think the _Little Girl_ was bluffing."

"What makes you say that?" The red-head inquired curiously.

Raiden shrugged his shoulders though his gaze never wavered from studying Sasuke, "Call it a gut feeling…"

Akemi snorted half-heartedly, "Should we _really_ be trusting a _gut_ feeling, Raiden? I think you rely _too much_ on those kinds of instincts."

'_Not just _my_ gut feeling_,' Raiden thought as he watched Sasuke urge his Hawk faster, '_Sasuke-san _feels _something wrong_. _I don't think I should doubt _his_ instincts_…_especially if it concerns Sakura-san_.'

"…I still don't like it…" Akemi whispered before pressing her forehead against his shoulder blades.

"No one does," The white-haired male pointed out.

The sound of sudden _static_ echoed in their ears and Akemi frowned, waiting for the inevitable taunts and laughter that the _Little Girl_ and _Shadow_ had been relaying through their devices like clockwork. Raiden lowered the volume of his radio and noticed Sasuke's annoyed scowl from his perch a few yards away.

'…–_really bad–…–you hear me?–…–wake up–…'_

The connection was weak, broken by static, and the voice was distorted, making it difficult for them to really discern what was being said and by whom. Sasuke steered his Hawk alongside Raiden's not risking communication through their devices in case their frequency became clearer.

"Do you know who it is?" Sasuke asked above the wind; his brows furrowed as he concentrated on listening for more broken messages.

Raiden shook his head, "I can't tell. The signal's too weak."

"It's male," Akemi pointed out, fiddling with her device, "And he sounds like he's in trouble."

'…–_fuck, fuck–…–come at me!–…–just _perfect_–…'_

"The breaks in the messages are muffled," Raiden noticed, "…He's hitting his radio accidentally. His movements might have changed his frequency!" He and Akemi began to twist the knobs of their device, changing their frequencies to attain a stronger signal.

"…–_hero saving the–…–Rekka no Jutsu!–…_"

Akemi's and Raiden's eyes instantly widened with recognition, her fingers curling into his shirt with anxiety as his black eyes snapped to meet with Sasuke's, "It's Isamu-san!"

"Isamu!" Akemi spoke frantically into her radio, "Can you hear me? _Isamu_!"

When there wasn't a response for several minutes Raiden shook his head, "His ear piece must have fallen out."

Suddenly, Sasuke stiffened, his eyes narrowing as he brought a hand to his ear, "…Change back to the regular frequency. I think I hear Souta."

Raiden nodded, following Sasuke's instructions, "Akemi, keep listening for Isamu-san, just in case."

She nodded, "Right."

"…–_get close–…–ofudas–…–Hirappa!–…–what happened–…–she's not breathing!–…_"

Because Raiden's eyes were already on Sasuke he witnessed the change in the Uchiha's features as the static-filled words registered in their minds. _She_ wasn't breathing. And the only female within either Shin's group or Dai's group…

…was _Haruno Sakura_.

Sasuke's dark onyx and Raiden's wide coal met briefly before the Uchiha's Hawk was steered away and within a _blink_ Raiden was looking upon the _uchiwa_ fan on Sasuke's back, flying _yards_ ahead of them.

"Dai!" Raiden called into his radio worriedly once he gained back his bearings, urging the Summons beneath him to catch up with Sasuke, "_Dai_, can you hear me?"

"…–_do you hear that?–…–walls won't hold much longer!–…–above, above, above!–…–damn it, Katon–…–don't let it in!–…–more ofudas!–…–oh my Kami!–…–get down, get down!–…–Ahhhhh!–…_"

"I can't listen to this…" Akemi cried softy, shaking her head against his back, clutching his shirt which was slowly growing damp, "I _can't_…"

If Akemi could hear the same exact thing that Raiden was then it was safe to assume that Isamu was not only with Sakura but with Souta, Shin, Takeru and Dai – every unique tenor accounted for in the broken messages being relayed through their devices. The screaming – the _fear_ – was clear in their voices and because Sakura's feminine tones were failing to be heard he could see the continually rising tension in Sasuke's shoulders.

"Come in!" Raiden yelled into his radio with panicked vigor, "Can you hear me? _COME IN_!"

"…_Rai–…–that you?–…–hear me?–…_" Souta's voice was distorted and labored, "_…–need help!–…–HURRY!_"

The Bird Jounin's fingers curled tightly within the hawk's feathers as he listened to the terror in their youngest member's voice. A flash under the moonlight caught his attention and he noticed Sasuke had drawn his Kusanagi, the Uchiha's hawk steadily gaining even more distance from his own, clearly eager to get to their destination.

"We need a plan," Akemi stated shakily.

"We have one," Raiden responded firmly as he watched with a skipping heartbeat as a tiny red flare shot from the ground miles away in the distance, arching into the air before disappearing once more behind the Tri-Point trees' canopies – his brows pinched with determination, "We _save _them."

* * *

Dai cursed as he leaned against the rock wall, dropping the spent flare beside him before clutching at his bruised arm. His navy blue eyes followed the rise and fall of the red spark before landing his gaze on the _Creature_, leaning over the opening of their safety, staring at him with wide, _wild_ eyes, hand outstretched towards him but blocked by the protective barrier of the ofudas.

The ground and walls quaked before another chunk of rock from above broke off, falling into the pit and causing Souta to jump out of the way before he could get smashed. A _howl_ filled the air and another tremor shook the group of ninjas as large bodies collided heavily into the earth barricades.

"It's the _Deformed_ creatures," Shin noted as he reloaded the senbon launcher on his left arm, "Daisuke, did you send the flare?"

The Bird Chuunin nodded in reply before setting his sights to Isamu, "What's her status?"

"Still not breathing!" The Rain Ninja reported with frustration, pushing his palms in a steady rhythm against the kunoichi's chest before bringing his lips to hers, breathing air back into her lungs, "_Come on_, Sakura-san!"

Souta stumbled against the stone wall as the ground quaked again before bringing a hand to his lips, directing his attack upwards towards the _Creature_, who was still staring intently at their trapped forms, "_Katon: Endan_!"

'…_BLOOD…'_

"We'll need to reinforce these walls, Takeru!" Dai yelled as he removed several more wards from his pouch.

"How do you suppose I do _that_?" Takeru growled as he dodged another falling rock, "I build a wall on the _outside_ and you can't put the seals on; I build a wall on the _inside_ and we lose space for movement!"

"Build it on the outside; push them back!" Dai improvised.

"Easier said than done if I can't _see_ anything!" Takeru retorted angrily.

"Well we have to do _something_!" Dai countered just as he watched petite hands grip the top of their barricade, the _Little Girl_'s head peeking over, her smile wide and feral.

'_Time to die…'_ She sang happily.

"_Katon: Gouryuuka no Jutsu_!"

The _Shadow_'s and _Little Girl_'s heads snapped up before screams tore through their mouths, fireballs colliding brutally against them, their forms lost behind a cloud of dark, billowy smoke. Souta, Shin, Daisuke, and Takeru stared up at the opening of their protective barrier, squinting their eyes to see beyond the thick haze of ash. The moaning of the surrounding _Corpses_ was still heard but a sharp avian cry pierced the air followed by a quick shadow that zipped overhead.

Movement above caused a tension to wind everyone's muscles and they held their breaths as the sudden flapping of cloth reached their ears before a figure dropped from the obscure opening, breaking through the smog and landing in the middle of their fortress with a grunt.

"…Sasuke-nii-san!" Souta cried out in surprise.

Sasuke stood up, crimson eyes sweeping over the stunned group before stopping at the edge of the farthest wall. His gaze narrowed dangerously.

"Damn it!" Isamu muttered, his awareness of his surroundings ignored in favor of pumping his palms against Sakura's still chest, "Wake up!"

Isamu leaned down, lips covering over Sakura's, breathing in with all he had. Sasuke stalked towards them, Kusanagi gripped tightly in his right hand.

"_Breathe_!" Isamu whispered before slamming his hands desperately against her torso.

_COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!_

"Sakura-nee-chan!" Souta exclaimed.

Isamu helped her sit upright, propping her against the wall as the kunoichi coughed up water, tears streaming down her face from the exertion.

"You okay?" Isamu asked as he rubbed her back soothingly, brows furrowed with concern.

Sakura blinked groggily in response, switching dulled jade eyes from Isamu's face to his bleeding arm. Blinking several more times as awareness slowly returned to her, her eyes also began to widen with alarm. She reached out a hand to hover above the injury.

"You're hurt," She said, voice raspy and soft.

Isamu chuckled, "I've been through worse."

"Sakura."

The Medic turned her head just as Sasuke knelt down at her right side, scarlet eyes raking over her condition, lips forming a thin line. She was still functioning slowly and blinked several more times in confusion before she reached out to touch his arm.

"…Sasuke-kun? What are you doing here?" She looked around at their enclosed space, "What's going on?"

Sasuke switched his attention to Isamu, eyes accusing, "What happened to her?"

The Rain Shinobi shook his head, "I'm not entirely sure and _now_ isn't exactly the time to explain."

The Uchiha scowled but returned his focus on Sakura, reaching out a hand and moving the wet locks of hair out of her face and behind her ear. She stared back at him with continued confusion before shutting her eyes tight and shaking her head, as if to shake the memories back into it.

"I remember…" Sakura began softly, everyone's attentions directed towards her, "I remember water…and an entrance…and a _girl_…" She groaned before bringing a hand to her temple, "Ow…"

"We need to get out of here," Isamu grunted as he stood up; he looked at Sasuke, "Weren't you teamed with Raiden-san and Akemi-san?"

Sasuke nodded, never taking his eyes off Sakura, "They're in the air, luring as many as they can away from this spot. Connect with them through your radio."

Dai quickly tried to patch through while Shin rummaged through his pack for proper medical supplies to treat Isamu's arm wound. Souta and Takeru kept their eyes to the sky, keeping sentry for any _creatures_ that tried to break through.

"…So stupid…" Sakura whispered, left hand pressed to her head, "…What was I _thinking_?" She shut her eyes and shook her head, "…I should have waited until tomorrow – when we had _more time_ – to check things out…_I_ put everyone in _danger_…"

Sasuke remained silent, not knowing what to say.

"–_these _ofudas aren't meant to protect earth constructed barriers, Raiden!" Dai shouted above the moans and groans of the _Corpses_, communication device clutched in his hand, "Maybe if we had the ones used for our _borders_ near the Patrolling Facility, it would _definitely _hold, but those wards hold _hundreds_ of ninjas' chakras! The ofudas _we_ carry only help with small, _enclosed_ spaces! We don't have a _roof_ if you haven't _noticed_!"

"What have I done…?" Sakura muttered softly; she snorted humorlessly, "And _I_ was telling _Souta_ not to get carried away…I should have taken my own advice…So _stupid_…"

Sasuke frowned, not liking the clear self-deprecation in her voice, and took the hand clutching her temple into his own, using his other to lift her chin to connect her gaze with his, "…You made a _mistake_. You're not perfect. What you did, you did with the best intentions in mind. You're trying to _help_ these people. Don't fault yourself for that, Sakura."

Sakura blinked, a single tear sliding down her cheek, which Sasuke gently swiped away with his thumb.

"There was a better way of going about it than how I did," She admitted quietly.

"There was," Sasuke agreed seriously, "It's annoying to come here and find you _unconscious_ – to _think_ that you might be _dead_," He sighed, red eyes fading back to deep obsidian, "But the important thing now is that you're _not_ dead," He squeezed her hand slightly, "And the only annoying thing left to do is to get out of here."

Sakura licked her lips and nodded, knowing she was wrong and acknowledging that what was done was done and that the present time was what was most important, "Right."

"–stay in the air, alright Raiden?" Dai continued, "Keep the entryway clear, we'll have to escape in small groups with Torio and any more Summons Sasuke-san might have," He looked to the Uchiha in silent question and Sasuke nodded his affirmation, helping Sakura to wobbly feet.

Dai bit into his thumb before slamming his palm against the ground, an array fanning out around his outstretched hand, "_Kuchiyose no Jutsu_!"

Torio appeared in a _puff_ of white smoke, wings spread wide. Dai wordlessly pushed Souta forward, urging him to mount the large eagle.

_HOWL!_

_CRASH!_

The west wall of their barricade exploded into chunks of debris and dust. The surrounding ofudas blinked bright blue several times before fading into dull, useless papers. Through the haze of dirt Dai quickly grabbed the next reachable person – who happened to be Isamu – and forced him to straddle the bird behind Souta. Takeru and Shin were braced against the east wall, due to Torio's massive size in the small space. Sakura and Sasuke had been closest to the blast, the kunoichi recoiling into the Uchiha, whose arms held her protectively as chunks of rocks showered over them.

"You okay?" Sasuke asked as he began to step back, trying to lead her as quickly as possible away from the new opening where _Corpses_ would undoubtedly rush through.

Sakura nodded before she flinched, looking up into Sasuke's concerned eyes, "I think my foot's stuck – I can't move."

They both looked down to find what was keeping her anchored to the ground, narrowing their eyes against the still-clearing dusts. When her left foot finally became visible through the brownish-grey haze Sakura's head instantly snapped up, green eyes wide with fear.

"Sasuke-ku–!"

The shadowed hand gripping her ankle _pulled_ and a terrified scream ripped through her throat as she was torn from Sasuke's arms, her body hitting the ground hard and dragged along the floor. Her hands clawed desperately for something to hold onto, fingers scraping against rocks, nails digging into the ground and leaving marks, skin becoming cut and bruised against sharp stone. Her figure rounded the corner, out of Sasuke's sight. The Uchiha, however, had immediately started running after her once her body had left his.

"SAKURA!"

"_Sasuke-kun_!"

His heart was pounding in his ears, the sounds of Dai's and the others' shouts became muffled. He gripped his katana, rounding the corner, watching with panicked eyes as Sakura's small form was dragged towards a mass of _Corpses_, surrounded by the grinning _Creature_ herself.

'_Your blood is finally mine!'_

Before Sasuke could act a group of _Corpses_ lunged for him on all sides and he was forced to protect himself. He sliced heads cleanly off bodies and felt decayed blood spill across his clothes. From his peripheral vision he could see Sakura getting closer and closer to the _Creature_, her shouts causing his heart to pound painfully in his chest.

"_NO_!" Sakura yelled, challenging, "_Katon:__ Goukakyuu no Jutsu_!"

Sasuke dealt with the final two _Corpses_ in his area before turning his attention back to Sakura, watching as the Great Fireball Technique blasted against the _Shadow_ earning a unified cry of pain from the group of undead touched by the white-hot flames. The shadowed hands released Sakura and the kunoichi stumbled to her feet, punching the ground in the process and causing the earth to quake and crumble under the enemy. She turned on her heel and began to run towards him and, in effect, he picked up his pace to reach her.

Her eyes widened, zeroing in on something behind him, and Sasuke only had enough time to flash-step to the side, a large claw breaking skin at the top of his right shoulder and painfully dragging down diagonally across his back, "_SASUKE-KUN_!"

The Uchiha grunted, feeling air hit his bare back. His ripped shirt and cloak billowed in the night wind. '_Flesh wound_…' He thought calculatingly, '_Nothing too serious_…'

"_Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu_!" Another Fireball shot through the clearing, striking the _Deformed_ creature and causing it to stumble back with a loud yowl of pain, "_Sasuke-kun_!"

He looked up, searching for pink hair and green eyes, finding it instantly as she continued to run towards him, expression pinched with fear – fear for _him_.

"Sakura-nee-chan!" Sasuke's focus shifted upward to find Souta flying overhead, atop Torio, waving his arms frantically, "Sakura-nee-chan, _behind you_!"

The Leaf Shinobi snapped his stare back to his teammate, eyes wide with alarm as the _Creature_ flew straight for her, hands outstretched, black hair flying, and eyes still crying with blood. Sakura didn't know it was behind her – she wouldn't react in time. Sasuke and everyone else were too far to haul her to safety. Sakura would be touched – _taken_ – by the _Creature_ and what would happen to her after that?

'_No!'_ Sasuke shouted in his head.

His dark eyes shifted into a deep red, the three commas morphed into a kaleidoscope of shapes; his right eye bled a single, scarlet tear.

"_Amaterasu_!"

Black flames instantly erupted over the _Creature_'s extended arms and a startled cry echoed in the night. Her bottomless irises stared at the purple-tinted flames inching along her body with fascination and anger, throwing a scornful glare in Sasuke's direction before screaming in agony as the black fire continued to climb up and consume her shadowy figure.

'_YOU!'_

Sasuke's vision blurred as he retained the technique, spreading the Amaterasu across the clearing, touching _Corpses_ and _Deformed_ as well. The screams grew with volume and Sasuke blinked; another crimson tear streaked across his cheek.

"Sasuke!" A body collided into his, petite arms wrapping tightly around his waist, "Sasuke! You need to _stop_! _Stop using that technique_!"

"I can stop them," Sasuke answered gruffly, his chakra draining rapidly, "I can _end _this."

"_No_," Sakura pleaded, clutching his shirt, shaking her head, "_Not like this_. Please stop! _Please_!" She moved so that she was standing right in front of him and took his face into her hands, trying to force him to look at her – _forcing_ him to return his Sharingan to its basic form so the Amaterasu wouldn't be used _on_ _her_, "…I _won't_ lose you to that technique. _Please_! _Stop_!"

Tears were streaming down her face and Sasuke hesitated. He _could_ end this. He _could_ keep going. His Sharingan's technique could _finish_ everything even if it was at the cost of _himself_. But the _fear_ in Sakura's eyes made him reconsider; her fear and the desperation shining in her eyes made him want to do as she pleaded. Reluctantly, Sasuke began to withdraw the black amethyst flames from its full potential, blinking several times to focus his vision while the kaleidoscope shape of his irises morphed back into three simple, spinning commas.

A relieved smile lifted the corners of Sakura's lips as she witnessed the Sharingan's slow transformation from its Mangekyou state back into its basic form until only deep pools of obsidian remained. Immediately, Sasuke's body sagged tiredly and she readily balanced him against her slighter figure.

"…Sasuke-kun," She whispered, leaning her forehead against his collarbone, clutching his shoulders in an effort to hold him up and also to reassure herself that he was alright.

"_Sakura-nee-chan_!" Souta shouted, "_LOOK OUT_!"

Everything moved in slow motion. The kunoichi's grasp on Sasuke tightened as she whipped her head to the source of danger as fast as she could. Her peripherals could distinguish a white form darting through dwindling black fire, zipping with speed past groups of _Corpses_, her usual haunting laughter now edged with a delirious insanity.

'_So close_…'The _Little Girl_ giggled crazily.

She wouldn't have enough time to defend herself if she was holding up Sasuke. Her narrowed green eyes locked was bottomless _black_, the _Little Girl_ moving on all fours as she grinned maniacally, crawling closer and closer with inhuman speed. Before she could think any type of strategy, Sasuke's arm curled around her shoulders, spinning her so that she was behind him, using his own body as a protective shield.

"_Chidori Eisou_!"

Sakura flinched against the bright white-blue light that erupted from Sasuke's outstretched right hand and the distinct sound of thousands of birds chirping rang loudly in her ears. The Uchiha grunted and the _chidori_ lengthened, shooting straight for the _Little Girl_ who leapt away gracefully, lightning connecting to the ground she once stood on, exploding the floor into chunks of dirt and rock. The lightning blade, however, remained intact and Sasuke shifted his arm, following the _Little Girl_'s movements in an effort to make contact.

'…_You can't catch me…'_ She sang, hopping over boulders and using _Corpses_ as her own form of protection.

Since Sasuke's attention was entirely focused on the _Little Girl_, Sakura was taking care of his blind spots, punching out approaching _Corpses_ and keeping aware of any _Deformed_ that were heading for them. Yards away she could make out Dai, Shin, and Takeru also occupied with a large group of adversaries, though she was assured to see that they were holding their own.

'_I'm getting closer!'_ The _Little Girl_ giggled, which prompted an irritated grunt from Sasuke.

Sakura looked over Sasuke's shoulder to see that the _Little Girl_ was only a few yards away, laughing madly as she dodged Sasuke's attacks, gaining proximity. His lightning blade was flickering – a sign of his wavering chakra.

"Sasuke!" The Medic warned; her brows furrowed with concern.

When the _Little Girl _ducked under another swipe of electric energy, she pounced, tiny arms outstretched in an effort to latch onto Sasuke's throat, ebony hair flying wildly.

"_Sasuke-san_!" Dai's shout echoed in the air, his deep tone laced with panic, "_DON'T LET HER TOUCH YOU_!"

Cursing, Sasuke grabbed Sakura from behind him, keeping his body as a protective barrier between the corpse-child and his teammate, obsidian eyes never leaving the _Little Girl_'s, challenging, "…_Chidori Nagashi_!"

Sakura pressed herself close to Sasuke's injured back – the blood from his wound transferring to her front – and felt the energy around her become charged, electricity whizzing past her skin in swift currents too fast for her to feel but causing the hair on her body to stand on end. Wincing at the bright light and the heated currents around her, Sakura chanced another peek over Sasuke's broad shoulder, her grip on his sides tightening as her green eyes widened with alarm.

The _Little Girl_ was suspended midair, tiny fingers outstretched as she glared menacingly into Sasuke's unflinching irises. Her reach was just _inches_ from his nose, stopped only by the _chidori nagashi_. Sasuke's jaw was clenched, clearly trying to keep the jutsu strong so the _Little Girl_ wouldn't break through.

'…_SO…CLOSE…!'_ Her high-pitched voice shouted in rage, small body struck by the electric currents and causing crimson lacerations to bloom across her pale skin.

Sasuke grunted and the technique stuttered. The _Little Girl_ grinned as she pushed forward, her index finger just a millimeter from Sasuke. Sakura's heart skipped as she felt the Uchiha tense up, the hand gripping her upper right arm growing tighter with warning – _panic_.

His _chidori nagashi_ was at its limit. And if it faltered completely the _Little Girl_ would undoubtedly make physical contact with Sasuke.

Another flash of Sasuke's waning assault and Sakura was quick in performing a series of hand signs.

"_Katon: __Goukakyuu no Jutsu_!"

Sasuke's technique dissipated and the _Little Girl_ screamed as she was pushed back by the force of Sakura's strike. As the corpse-child writhed in her electric-charged flames Sakura's arms wrapped around Sasuke as he fell against her, consequently causing her to stumble to the floor.

"Damn it," She cursed, pushing Sasuke's dark locks away from his sweat-drenched face before looking up, assessing their situation.

Raiden and Akemi remained airborne on, what Sakura recognized, was one of Sasuke's Hawk Summons. Souta and Isamu were also flying atop Torio. Both pairs were using their advantage of height to keep the _Corpses_ attention. Takeru, Shin, and Dai still remained on the ground, teaming up to take on several _Deformed_ creatures.

They were outnumbered.

Sasuke groaned and Sakura's eyes snapped back to him, her hand touching his cheek, "Sasuke-kun? Are you okay? Look at me." His eyes were clenched shut with discomfort before fluttering open, dark onyx meeting worried green, "Sasuke-kun, you need to tell me – did she touch you? Did the _Little Girl_ touch you?" Her tone was taking on a panicked edge, gaze leaving his face in favor of searching his body for any abnormalities, "Come on, Sasuke-kun, talk to me – _did she touch you_?"

Sasuke blinked before shaking his head, already shifting his body in an effort to sit up, "No, Sakura, she didn't.

"_Are you sure_?" The kunoichi pressed.

He nodded, brows furrowed with slight exasperation, "I'm _sure_."

'_We can fix that…'_

She stood in front of them, staring at the couple with false innocence, right hand raised up, her grin wide even as her skin bled from the wounds of fire and electricity.

Her black irises were so dark and wide that the white of her eyes were no longer visible, _'You're __**ours**__ now.'_

"NOT SO FAST!" Sakura blinked and there was a flash of yellow and orange before a loud explosion caused her to cover her eyes with her arm and bend her upper body to shield Sasuke, "_RASENGAN_!"

The sound of his familiar, raspy voice caused Sakura's heart rate to increase with hope. When the rain of rock and debris ended she looked up and stared at Naruto's straightened back, his attention focused on the _Little Girl_, who had been thrown across the clearing by his attack.

"Naruto…"

His head shifted at her soft acknowledgement, one blue eye regarding her and Sasuke with concern before a small grin lifted his lips, "Hey there, Sakura-chan. Sorry I'm late."

The Medic blinked, "But how…?"

The blonde lifted his right hand and twirled a familiar metal object before nodding his head towards Sasuke's belt, "_Hiraishin_. Lucky that Sasuke-teme had his emergency kunai on him," He smirked as he shifted his attention to the Uchiha, who was sitting up in Sakura's arms, "Glad to know you keep it so I can save your ass during times like these."

"_Dobe_," the dark-haired male muttered half-heartedly.

'_STUPID STRANGERS!'_ All eyes snapped towards the _Little Girl_ who was getting to her feet, glowering at Team Seven with severity, her voice shrilly, _'YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE __**OURS**__ NOW! STOP INTERFERING!'_

Naruto met her glare calmly before he placed his hands together in a single seal, "_Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!" The subsequent _pops_ of smoke gave entrance to an army of Naruto-shadow-clones, all grinning in readiness before giving a unified cry and charging forward to take on _Corpses_ and _Deformed_ alike.

While his clones kept their enemies busy he turned on his heel to help both Sasuke and Sakura to their feet, blue eyes shifting everywhere to assess the situation. He took silent note of those in the sky – Raiden, Akemi, Souta, Isamu – and those on the ground – Dai, Shin, and Takeru. He noticed Sasuke on barely-noticeable shaky legs and the way his weight was supported by both himself and Sakura.

He acknowledged that his clones were hardly doing _anything_ to keep the _creatures'_ attentions. The _Little Girl_ was still trying to edge towards them, slithering past his defenses. The _Corpses_ attacked his clones by unpredictable mauling. The _Deformed_ raged through with pure force and power. And the _Shadow_ was steadily closing in on Dai, Shin, and Takeru.

"Plan?" Naruto asked just as Sasuke pulled away to place a bleeding hand to the floor, calling a familiar Summons Contract.

"We get out of here," Sakura answered bluntly, just as a large hawk appeared beside them, "We don't stand a chance. We head to the Rain Border Village; it's closer."

"_SHIT_!"

Dai was clutching his left side, his shirt blooming crimson as Takeru and Shin displayed a simultaneous attack on the _Deformed_ that had landed the blow. Naruto quickly created another wave of shadow clones to aid them before helping Sasuke and Sakura onto the Hawk Summons.

"We need to head back to Heiwanasu Village!" Dai yelled as he, Takeru and Shin ran towards Team Seven at the insistence of Naruto's clones. Sasuke's initial Hawk – which he had been riding atop alongside Raiden and Akemi – landed beside their group.

Sakura blinked, confused, "The Bird Village? Why? It's more logical to head to Rain–"

"Shin and I are out of ofudas," Dai grunted before he pulled from his belt the stacks of paper, _soaked_ with his blood; he continued his explanation just as Sakura opened her mouth, "And Raiden has been using his to give some protection while we regrouped on the ground. He has a few left but not enough to get us through the night. Our best bet is heading back to Bird Country."

"You can't expect us to outrun them," Sakura whispered, "We might be flying but–"

"I'll distract them."

Green eyes snapped towards Naruto, whose own gaze was calculatingly following the movement patterns of their opponents. His brows were furrowed as he retained anything that could help with his plan and he counted the seconds of the average length his clones lasted against their enemy. Every clone-memory that returned to him was stored away for future use.

"We can fly – _all of us_," Dai started warily, breaking through the tense silence; his navy eyes took in the expressions thrown by Sasuke and Sakura towards Naruto, but the blonde continued to ignore his Leaf teammates, "As long as we keep constant evasion and defensive fire jutsu–"

"You and I both know that can only last so long," Naruto interrupted, "We _all_ know that," He turned his head as he placed his hands together and created two more waves of clones, meeting green and obsidian irises seriously, "I can distract them."

"Your clones can only last so long too!" Sakura argued desperately, "We are _not_ leaving you behind, Naruto!"

"Or you can just leave your clones to hold them off," Dai suggested hurriedly, noticing the decreasing distance of the _creatures_ encroaching on them, "You can come with us, Naruto-san. There's no need for you to _stay_."

Naruto shook his head, "Sakura-chan's right. My clones won't last long if I leave them alone. And even if I did wave after wave of copies while I was with you there's still a chance that they can get through. I have to stay behind in order to give you all a _clean_ escape – no followers."

"How can you possibly do that?" Sakura whispered, shaking her head back and forth.

"They're getting closer," Naruto said instead, rummaging through his back pouch; his blue eyes then locked with Sasuke's, "You guys need to get out of here," He nodded his head at the second, unoccupied hawk and motioned for the three Bird Ninja to mount it, "Hurry."

Sakura shook her head vigorously, "_No_! Not without _you_!"

The blonde shinobi smiled weakly before he connected gazes with Sasuke, "She has so little faith in me, huh Sasuke-teme?"

Sasuke only stared at him before holding up his hand, revealing the three-pronged weapon that had been hidden in his pouch, "Use _Hiraishin_ again if you have to, _dobe_. I expect you alive."

Naruto eyed the unique kunai blankly before slowly nodding his head, "…Right."

Sakura frowned at the expression on his face before she noticed him removing a stack of papers from his back pouch, _'…Ofudas…?'_

"Now go," He commanded softly; Sakura's heart leapt in her throat when Sasuke's hawk took flight – the action simply reaffirming the fact that they were _leaving a teammate behind_ as she watched Naruto's body become smaller and smaller with distance; watched as he gave a smirking, two-finger salute before turning back to the enemy in readiness.

The instant Naruto was out of her sight Sakura's vision blurred and she turned around to pound an angry fist against Sasuke's chest.

"Why are we leaving him _behind_? _Why_?" She faced away from him and bowed her head, tears tracking swiftly down her cheeks, "We're _trash,_ Sasuke! _Trash_!"

"He's doing it to save us, Sakura," The Uchiha amended softly, dark eyes scanning their surroundings, relieved that they indeed weren't being followed; his other two hawks, and Torio, flew yards ahead of them, "He'll be fine. It'll be enough for a head start in our escape and then he'll teleport to where we are."

"…Did you see his face?" Sakura whispered, "Resigned. When you showed him the kunai to teleport…he didn't look like he was going to use it."

Sasuke blinked, brows furrowed, "Why wouldn't he use it?"

"…And the _ofudas_?" She continued, "Why would he have _those_? If he had them we could have used them to stay in the Rain Border Village."

Behind her, Sasuke stiffened, realization hitting him as he turned to look behind him just as a bright red light lit up the area Naruto was left behind in, "Unless those ofudas are filled with a different chakra source…"

Sakura frowned, "But whose–" Her eyes widened, "_Kyuubi_!" Sakura twisted around just in time to see the same red light flash again, the earth quaking so violently that the trees below them swayed, "We _have_ to go back, Sasuke, he _won't_ last at all if he's using Kurama's chakra to draw them away from us!"

"That _idiot_," Sasuke muttered but his tone was clearly laced with concern; hands already gripping the Hawk's feathers tightly, he signaled backtrack to their previous location.

"Sakura-san! Sasuke-san! Where are you going?"

Raiden's voice was heard above the whipping wind currents and the Hawk carrying the white-haired male and Akemi appeared beside them.

"Naruto's in trouble; we're going back for him," Sakura answered, never removing her gaze from the flashes of red in the distance.

Raiden's brows furrowed, "But–"

"He's planning to _sacrifice_ himself," Sakura interjected harshly, "And we're not letting him."

"…Sasuke-san…" Akemi's voice was soft and meek; olive eyes wide, "Your back…"

Sasuke grunted in response but Sakura suddenly realized just how much of his weight was resting against her, "Sasuke-kun?"

"It's nothing," He muttered, "Naruto–"

"We'll get him," Raiden responded firmly.

"We _will_?" Akemi squeaked. Sakura looked at them with surprise.

"You two won't do much in your states. You'll both get killed. _We_'ll get him," Raiden explained, "I _promise_."

Sakura didn't want to leave. She didn't want to leave her best friend's well-being in the hands of strangers. She wanted to get him herself and then knock him over the head for making the stupid decision of putting his life on the line for them. She wanted to knock herself on the head for leaving him behind in the first place.

But with her chakra reserves dangerously low, and with Sasuke chakra-depleted and bleeding profusely behind her, she knew that they didn't have the strength to retrieve their best friend themselves.

"He's important to us…" Sakura whispered, barely heard above the torrent winds, "Please…bring him back."

Raiden nodded, "Get back to Base. We'll follow as fast as we can."

With a heavy heart the kunoichi watched Raiden and Akemi continue onwards towards the bright flashes of red. A tear slid along her cheek as she reluctantly steered their hawk back towards Bird Country. Her hand blindly fell to her stomach where Sasuke's own hand rested and gripped his fingers tightly.

"I hate this, Sasuke…" She whispered, "…I _hate_ this…"

* * *

**A/N:** This is probably going to need editing later today (I don't know if I'm completely happy with this chapter…). Again, I apologize for the late update. It's been a stressful couple of weeks. And it's currently 3:38 AM (Pacific Time) and I have work in about…six hours? Oh man, insomnia sucks. Anyways, I hope you guys liked this chapter. I didn't mean for it to be…filler-ish but if I had kept going it would have been a chapter over 30 pages. So, might as well get this chapter out as soon as possible so we can get to the next one as soon as possible too. Unlike other chapters, this one was a bit more fast-paced and action-filled with a lot more characters to keep up with in one setting, so I hope I did well in keeping it not-as-confusing as possible…? Let me know how I did? I _will_ say that this chapter was all in the _**details**_. I'm still trying to keep this horror and mystery-esque. It gets more interesting the next couple of chapters; we're reaching the _**last half of the story**_! :) Yay!

Feedback is very much appreciated everyone! I'd love to hear from you!

**And I noticed:** Whenever I get favorites or alerts for this story I see so many user names with scary, horror-esque names. Glad I'm drawing you readers in! Heehee! Thanks so much for the support!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto and Company. Just the Plot and Original Characters.

**Next Chapter:** _No Regrets  
_

**Next Update:** I know I give a target date, but I never seem to meet them. I'm sorry! But I'll _try within the next two weeks_.

**Translations:  
**_Jutsu:  
_Takeru: **Doton: Doryuu Heki** – _Earth Style Wall  
_Isamu: **Katon: Rekka no Jutsu** – _Raging Fire Technique  
Other:  
_Heiwanasu Village: **Bird Border Village** – _Peaceful Nest Village_

**AND!** Has anyone watched the anime series **Darker Than Black** and **Sword Art Online**. Because those are my current obsessions. **Hei** is such a dark and brooding hottie (and his **Li** personality is so cute!). And **Kirito** is just freaking adorable. Now I'm gonna flail with them in my dreams (with **Sasuke-kun** of course!)

**Thank You to all readers and reviewers! You're the BEST!**

I have a **Tumblr** now, called **SincerelyLen**. It's more of a **personal blog** if you're interested, but I have a few fiction recs and quotes I will put up and reference also. My **Twitter** was a _**fail**_ since there's only so much I can say in a small box. **Blogs** are more my thing. Add me if you'd like?

**Please Check-Out My Other Fictions!**

**Updates Soon to be POSTED! **_**(…hopefully…)**_  
_**The Curse  
Psychotic  
Missing In Action  
Vengeance  
False Façade  
The Road of Touch; The Road To Feeling**_**  
A NEW STORY – **_**Confinement**_**  
AND EVEN MORE TO COME!**

**Thank You To Those Who Read And Review! You're AWESOME!**

_**LotzaLove!  
Len83  
aka  
Luvinukag83**_


	21. No Regrets

**The Curse**

_**Chapter Twenty-One: No Regrets**_

Naruto inhaled deeply – laboriously – as he stumbled against the trunk of a large, low-branched tree, right hand cradling his left side as he struggled to steady his rapid breathing. Blue eyes shifted along the darkness of his surroundings, wary of every shadow around him, and listening to the distant sounds of his multiple shadow clones causing distraction for his plan. Grunting, he removed a rectangular paper from his back pouch and hastily slapped it against the rough bark of the tree before moving on further into the darkness.

'_Clone Group 27 – Destroyed. North; northeast. Deformed,'_ Naruto thought as the memories of his copies returned to him in waves – and after years of doing this, it didn't come as a shock as before, but that didn't erase the brutality of the ways they were defeated, _'Clone Group 62 – Intercepted Corpse Mob – 15 degrees west of position; roughly 300 yards away.'_

The Leaf shinobi grunted as he squeezed past two boulders and a cluster of trees, setting several ofudas against their surfaces, before darting off in the direction of the Rain Border Village – a direction leading as opposite from his comrades as possible.

'_You've planted twenty-eight of your thirty ofudas,'_ Kurama stated lowly in observation, _'Sixty-eight of your One-hundred and twenty Clone Squads have been destroyed. You can't keep going on like this, brat.'_

"It's only been forty minutes," Naruto whispered, careful not to draw attention to himself, "It's not enough time to give the others a head start. These things are _fast_; they'd catch up to them in no time."

"_You won't have enough chakra to use _Hiraishin _to get back to your teammates_," The Kyuubi warned.

"I know that," He responded just as seriously, setting another ward against a large, upturned tree root, "My clones are doing their jobs; I'm doing mine. Once these seals are set, I get as far away from here as possible before I activate them."

"_These _creatures_ might be drawn to the ofudas, but they might be drawn to _you_ also,"_ Kurama acknowledged warily, _"Once you activate these seals, there's no telling if it'll affect you the way it did back at the Patrolling Facility – or _worse_."_

"It's the best plan we got," Naruto dismissed before pressing himself against a tree trunk, peering around it to see the mass of wandering, groaning _Corpses_.

"_Reckless Brat,"_ The Nine-Tails muttered.

Frowning, Naruto felt along his chakra network, _'Clone Group 97 – 200 yards, northeast. Pulse Nine-Tails Chakra.'_

The blonde opened his eyes and within several seconds a flash of red erupted in the distance. He flinched as a niggling of his chakra pulled uncomfortably but it lapsed within seconds concurrent with the fleeting pulse his far-off shadow clones gave off. The _Corpses_ wandering the clearing stiffened before giving a unified moan and moving as a unit towards the northeast where the flash of demonic chakra had originated. Distraction successful, Naruto crept across the now-empty clearing and placed another chakra-ofuda against an additional shadowed tree trunk.

"All enemies are contained within this area, right?" Naruto questioned, removing his last ofuda and already creeping towards the last rough location of the perimeter to set it.

"_Don't you have your _Sage _Mode_ _to figure it out?"_ Kurama sniffed; nonchalant.

Naruto grinned, crouching low as a _Deformed_ and several _Corpses_ ran past him in the direction of his diversion clones, "I'm sorry _your_ chakra isn't much of a _positive_ help, Kurama; are you jealous?"

"_Hardly_,_"_ The Kyuubi growled petulantly.

The shinobi sped through the underbrush silently before skidding under an alcove of toppled trees, "I have a couple of shadow clones in the Rain Border Village gathering some natural energy in case I need it for Sennin Mode. I don't want to use it until I _have_ to. So, lend me a paw here?"

Kurama rolled his eyes before swishing his nine tails idly, _"Fine. Yes, I sense all enemies within the area. None followed your comrades,"_ The demon paused, _"…Hmmm…"_

"What?" Naruto asked; his brows furrowed.

"_Not all of your comrades left…"_ Kurama stated, a hint of amusement laced with his gruff tenor, _"It seems two stayed behind for you."_

Naruto's eyes widened, "Who? Sasuke-teme and Sakura-chan?"

Kurama shook his head, _"No. Surprisingly, no. It's a man and a woman, however."_

"Well…_Who_?" Naruto pressed.

The Kyuubi scoffed, _"I don't make it a point to memorize your friends' names, brat."_

The blonde shinobi scowled, "Are they being attacked?"

The demon-fox shook his head once more, _"Your clones are doing a decent job keeping the enemies' attentions. But they're circling the area; no doubt, looking for you."_

Naruto blinked before holding his bruised side and rubbing his thumb along his final chakra-seal, "Maybe this can work out."

"_Then start working, brat,"_ The Nine-Tails growled impatiently.

"Alright, alright," he muttered in response, brushing dried leaves from the forest floor and spreading his last ofuda across the surface of a protruding rock, "There. Now, to get out of the area."

'_What are you doing, Uzumaki Naruto…?'_

Naruto stiffened and even Kurama's pointed ears straightened within his mental imaging. The blonde immediately straightened from his crouch and spun on his heels slowly, narrowing his blue eyes against the dimness of the half-moon. He knew that voice. Soft – wispy even – and filled with mocking curiosity.

'…_What are you planning?'_

"Where is she?" Naruto muttered to himself as he tensed his body, turning it in readiness at the slightest of noises or movements.

'_Let's play, Naruto-kun…Let's play a game. Hide and Seek. If I find you…I get to kill you. Fun, ne?'_

"And if I don't feel like playing?" Naruto inquired, turning his head as a bush rustled, swift shadows passing by and out of sight.

'_So boring,'_ She sighed, _'I don't want to skip the game and just kill you. That's not fun. Not fun at all.'_

Naruto frowned; mind beginning to spin with scenarios on how to handle his current position, "How about another game? How about…a Race?"

"_Naruto…"_ Kurama growled lowly – warningly.

'…_Race?'_ He query was laced with intrigue, _'Perhaps…Tag?'_

Another shadow sped past his left peripheral vision and Naruto shifted in preparation only to find nothing once again, "…Do you think you can catch me?"

The _Little Girl _giggled.

_SNAP!_

Naruto spun on his heel in a one-hundred eighty degree turn, arms raised defensively as he was met with the origination of the noise. She stood there under the luminescence of moonlight dressed in her petite white dress and smiling her sweet-sweet smile. But that innocence was stained with red crimson splashed across her front. Fresh lacerations, made by electric currents, were slanted sickeningly across her porcelain face.

But she smiled – _oh how she smiled_. Her long lashes fluttered as she grinned at him, tilting her head to the side and long hair tumbling over one shoulder. Her dark-_dark_ eyes suddenly became hooded and her tongue peeked out to lick her lips – _hunger_ filling her expression.

'_Oh Naruto-kun…__**Of course I'll catch you**_…'

Kurama suddenly snarled, standing up within the confines of his mind and nine-tails swishing restlessly, _"Run, boy. RUN."_

Naruto's eyes widened with apprehension as the _Little Girl_'s body began to jerk uncoordinatedly before she fell onto her knees, dark hair covering her face. He took a step back and a giddy giggle tumbled from her kneeled position.

'_I'll catch you…__**I'll catch you**__…'_ She sang before she looked up and connected coal eyes with blue, _'...__**Better start running**__…'_

And she began to crawl, elbows jutted out, head rotated as she stared up at him unflinchingly with a feral grin on her pale lips. Naruto could only stare. This – this _girl_ wasn't a girl at all! She was a monster! How could something like _her_ exist?

"_NARUTO!"_ Kurama roared, snapping the blonde out of his reverie, _"RUN!"_

Thinking quickly, Naruto spun on his heel, pumped chakra into his legs, and sped off into the night, spurred on by the _Little Girl_'s laughter just _meters_ behind him.

'_Faster, Naruto-kun. Faster! Don't you want to live?'_

"Damn it!" Naruto immediately dismissed one of his shadow clones nestled within the Rain Border Village and a subsequent yellow-gold glow surrounded his body, natural energy gathering within him and causing his Sennin Mode to take effect. The transformation exponentially increased his speed and he sped off in a flash.

"_You've now held them off for an hour and a half,"_ Kurama noted, _"Once you activate the wards it should allow another hour of distraction for you and your comrades to get away. Do it now."_

"We need to find the other two first," Naruto murmured, "I can't have it activating, and them finding me, only to be caught in an attack."

"_Send a clone to find them and relay the message,"_ Kurama suggested.

Naruto nodded, grunting as he spun to avoid the surprise swipe of claws from an incoming _Deformed_, "Already done!"

"_You need to clear out __**at least**__ 500 yards from the closest ofuda if you don't want to experience the effects,"_ The Kyuubi informed, _"But even then it's not certain."_

A wave of memories returned to Naruto as the _Little Girl_'s white form darted by him, forcing him to switch directions in an effort to avoid her, "Damn it; it's Raiden-san and Akemi-san. They've been intercepted by the _Shadow_. It's not looking good for them!"

"_So what are you going to do?"_ Kurama asked, agitated.

Naruto zipped as a yellow-orange flash across the tree-lines, his minor vision seeing the _Little Girl_ remained within viewing distance, giggling maniacally, "We activate them _now_!" He dipped into his chakra network hastily, "All shadow clones – pulse Kyuubi chakra!"

A wave of regret for the command ran through him as the forest rippled with simultaneous pulses of Kyuubi chakra, dotting around the parameter Naruto had set to contain their adversaries. His body pulsed uncomfortably in accordance to his clones and his running faltered slightly from the nauseating feeling.

Howls began to echo in the air and the massed moaning of the _Corpses_ increased in volume. Memories returned to Naruto with the defeat of his copies and he groaned at the simultaneous sensations of both the horrid obliteration of his clones and the pain beginning to vibrate through his limbs – the feeling of chakra slowly exiting and entering his body. His Sage Mode flickered waveringly around his form, steadily losing power.

"_Keep moving, brat,"_ Kurama encouraged – but his growled demand was strained, also feeling the effects of the pulsing chakra.

"I think they're in the clear," Naruto whispered as he jumped through the branches, brows furrowed with the suspicious silence of the _Little Girl_'s laughter, "Raiden and Akemi. The _Shadow_ and other _creatures_ are leaving them alone to find my clones."

'_Don't tell me you've stopped playing, Naruto-kun.'_

Naruto's head snapped upwards to find the _Little Girl_ perched on a high tree branch, grinning down at him with sharpened teeth. She pounced and Naruto flashed as fast as he could out of her range, his Sennin Mode flickering dangerously and his legs shaking involuntarily due to his depleting chakra.

'_I want to know what demon blood tastes like, Naruto-kun…'_ She whispered with the wind.

"She's not being drawn to the clones," Naruto growled, "Why?"

"_If you activate the ofudas with her here then she'll head straight for you when you're defenseless,"_ Kurama noted.

"Damn it," Naruto reached for his back pouch and pulled free his three-pronged kunai, "I only have enough chakra for one shot at this," He frowned, "Sorry Sasuke – I can't head towards you if I want Raiden-san and Akemi-san to get out of this alive too."

'_What are you planning, Naruto-kun_?_'_ She sang, voice gaining proximity.

Naruto gripped the kunai in his hand tightly and immediately searched for familiar chakra signatures, targeting one northeast of his position, "_Hiraishin_!"

His body glowed bright yellow before he disappeared in a flash of dazzling color, chakra guiding him to his destination as the _Little Girl_'s outraged scream echoed behind him.

It was several seconds before another flash brought him back and he stumbled against hardwood floor, rolling to a halt with a groan.

"…Nice landing."

Naruto looked up and was greeted by two of his shadow clones. One was closing his eyes in Sennin Meditation while the other was grinning widely, holding up one of the kunai counterparts of his father's Flying Thunder God Technique. He quickly scanned his surroundings, analyzing the run-down Rain Border Village house that his clones had taken refuge in so they could gather their natural energy without too much trouble.

"Alright, activating seals," Naruto stated as he performed the hand signs Kasumi had taught him, wasting no time, "_Fuuinjutsu: Sanjuu Kekkai_!"

The effects were immediate.

Naruto dropped to his knees and groaned; his eyes were wide and dilated, shifting from the gold of his Sennin Mode into his natural, expressive blue, before flickering into a dark, crimson red. He stared down at his hands which were spread flat against the hardwood floors, keeping his body propped, but the yellow chakra surrounding him began to change, flashing into the Nine-Tails' deep red. His nails elongated and he groaned against the pain of roiling chakra inside his body, digging his nails into the floor.

"_Fight it_," Naruto growled to himself, lifting his head to see his two clones struggling, also bordered in red chakra, before _puffing_ out of existence, "_Fight it_!"

"_It's working_," Kurama whispered, ears pinned against his head, red fur standing on end, "_They're heading for your chakra wards…_"

Naruto fell onto his side, unable to hold his weight, before curling into himself, shutting his eyes tightly as he tried his best to block out the same haunting whispers and voices he had heard when the same event had happened in the Patrolling Facility.

"Got to…" Naruto struggled, clutching his jacket as an anchor to reality, "…Got to hold out…Got to endure it so everyone can get away…"

"_You will fail…"_

"_You will die…"_

"_Demon…"_

"_Don't let them take me…"_

"_Why is this happening?"_

"_Monsters…"_

"_Ghosts…"_

"_You're one of them, aren't you?"_

Naruto moaned, trying to block out the whispers filtering in his head as chakra continued to pull and push throughout his aching body. Kurama stayed silent in his mind, pressed to the floor and his nine tails hovering protectively over his face, pointed ears still pinned back with discomfort.

'_I've found you Naruto-kun…'_ The _Little Girl_'s voice broke through all others battling for his attention in his mind and he stiffened with fear, _'I know where you are. I can feel you,'_ She giggled triumphantly, _'We're coming to get you_.'

"_Damn it…"_ Kurama muttered, _"The _creatures_ are changing direction. They're headed for us. The wards worked but you're the source – you're giving off a more powerful signal."_

_THUD!_

Naruto's red eyes snapped upward, staring up at the darkened ceiling warily before he winced, another painful pull of chakra filling his senses.

_Creak._

Naruto felt tension rise, even more than he thought his already-rigid body could go. He pushed himself onto shaking arms as he followed the noises of _something_ moving above him. He looked around frantically, noticing he was in the main room of the structure, closed off by simple paper-sliding doors and wooden walls. The only light was coming through windows high up on the ramparts, bathing the small space in a white moonlit glow.

_Shhhhrk. Shhhhrk._

Something…Something was sliding now – or rather, _dragging_ – across the ceiling. The blonde shinobi propped himself against the far wall, clutching his jacket desperately as he followed the direction of the noises with narrowed, red eyes. His jaw locked tightly and his teeth gritted together to prevent any more noises of pain to erupt from him.

_THUD…THUD…THUD…THUD._

'_Stairs,'_ Naruto realized as he looked at the paper partition across from him. Beyond it the sounds were steadily getting louder, leveling closer to him.

'…_Blood…'_

The paper partition suddenly rattled and Naruto gulped, struggling to bring his hands together to call up chakra so he could materialize any clones, but the pain of chakra coursing through his body was proving too much. His heart was _pounding_.

Another rattle and the partition opened fractionally. He held his breath, not able to see past the darkness, but along the side of the sliding door were fingers, clutching and pushing, slowly revealing a pale face and unkempt, black hair. The _Shadow_ stared at him with black eyes and a blood-stained grin, slapping the same hand that clutched the door onto the floor before dragging herself forward, intent on reaching him.

'_Fuck…'_ Naruto thought, blood rushing hotly through his veins as she slowly edged closer. Not only could he not move because of the activation of the Kyuubi's chakra but he was paralyzed – absolutely _paralyzed_ with fear.

'_Blood…'_ The _Creature_ whispered, her mouth dripping red and landing in thick droplets onto the floor.

She was only a few yards away, and the closer she got the faster she began to move, impatiently anticipating her prize once she reached him.

'_MINE!'_ She screamed, her pale hand thrown out to grab him.

_CRASH!_

Naruto flinched as a rain of glass fell over him and he looked up in time to see a flash of red. A shadowed body fell protectively in front of him, crouched low and hands moving in a series of hand signs.

"_Rairyuu no Tatsumaki_!"

The atmosphere instantly became charged with energy and flashes of bright blue light circled around his protector, whizzing uncontrollably before rising up high in the form of a large, electric dragon and shooting downwards to connect violently against the _Creature_ who flew with a scream across the room.

"_Raiton: Rakurai_," She was a flurry of fast movements as she removed several senbon from her belt, lighting them with electricity and throwing them in conjunction with an exploding tag. She didn't wait for the inevitable explosion, wasting no time in turning towards him, red hair flipping with her movements. Her olive eyes took in his tensed-up state worriedly before she crouched before him and took his right arm to sling over her shoulders.

"I've got him, Raiden," She spoke hurriedly, grunting as the fire-tag exploded behind her and caused a momentary falter in her movements; her free hand pressed into her radio, "Escape?"

Naruto could hear a slight static coming from her left ear but he didn't strain to understand what was being said. Instead, he was doing his best to control his urges in his Kyuubi form, trying to ignore the voices now speaking rapidly in his mind. The last time he had been with a comrade in this state, he had almost hurt Sakura. As if the memory triggered something, his right hand clutched Akemi's shoulder to the point of nails digging painfully into her skin.

'_Stop it,'_ Naruto told himself fiercely and his grip loosened, but only fractionally.

She winced but said nothing; attention solely focused on the voice in her ear as olive eyes darted around frantically, "Surrounded? Just _Corpses_? _Shadow_ is down but not for long – _Little Girl_ isn't in sight. Come on, Raiden; give me something to work with!"

More static before Akemi cursed and removed another explosive tag from her pouch. She looked over her shoulder, relieved to see that the _Shadow_ was taking a while to recover due to her electrified senbon; but her time was dwindling.

"Try to keep up, okay Naruto-san?" Akemi muttered before she threw the flaring tag at the wall at her right, twisting Naruto's body so she could shield him from the subsequent blast. The wooden wall blew apart without trouble and the space instantly filled with dust. However, the kunoichi urgently pulled him along, exiting through the forced entry as fast as possible.

Naruto was starting to feel sluggish. The push and pull of chakra in his body wasn't as strong as before but he could feel consciousness leaving him. His steps were dragging, slowing him and Akemi down and he was doing his best to keep up. His red eyes were mechanically following movement. _Corpses_ were just outside of the house he had been residing in, staring upward as fire fell from above – he slowly registered that it was probably Raiden.

"Come on Naruto-san," Akemi grunted, voice laced with panic as she released a sai from her belt, the blade bordered in blue as she struck at an incoming _Corpse_, "Keep moving!"

More static and Naruto blinked drowsily, his ears now filling with groans and moans from fast-approaching _Corpses_, "Raiden! I need some help here! They're _adapting _to your fire! _Shadow_ is down – she probably hasn't fed – but I have no eyes on the _Little Girl_!"

"…Akemi…" Naruto mumbled; he didn't like being helpless, or a _burden_. He wanted to be active and _not_ a liability.

"You're okay; you're okay," Akemi whispered, as if reading his mind, "Just got to–_watch out_!"

The next thing Naruto knew he was on the floor, shoved by Akemi herself just as the _Little Girl_ lunged in an attempt to grab him. He groaned, and the red chakra around him pulsed erratically. He blinked from his position on the floor to see Akemi standing in front of him protectively, twin sais sizzling as she glared at the _Little Girl_, who only giggled in response.

'_Akemi-san, Akemi-san…Are you here to play too?'_

She didn't respond, but the blue surrounding her blades burned brighter.

There was a shift in the wind and footsteps sounded somewhere behind Naruto's crumpled body. _Corpses_ were still closing in but the appearance of the _Little Girl_ seemed to have halted their killer approach.

"Akemi!" Raiden's shout was panicked.

'_Raiden-san too…'_ Another giggle, dark eyes never leaving the red-headed kunoichi, _'Come with me, Akemi-san; we can go see your Papa. Don't you want to see your Papa?'_

"SHUT UP!" the teenager's snarl was full of rage, "You little _bitch_, shut up!"

The _Little Girl_'s smile faltered, _'…That wasn't very nice, Akemi-san,'_ Her eyes darkened, _'You should be punished. I'll kill your brother next. Akio-san, Akio-san_,_'_ She sang mockingly, _'He'll make perfect prey.'_

"Come on, Naruto," Raiden whispered, arms wrapping around him and suddenly leading him off towards a Hawk Summons; the bird's beady eyes were darting around restlessly, "Akemi!"

'_We won't let you go so easily_…_'_ The _Little Girl_ stated, amused.

"You want to play?" Akemi whispered, challenging, "Then let's play…come and _get me_."

The _Little Girl_ smiled, _'Gladly.'_

The last thing Naruto saw before he and Raiden lifted off into the skies was Akemi's twin sais flashing white-blue before she charged for the _Little Girl_ who only laughed with glee.

His heart pounded in panic, "…Can't…leave…her…!"

"We aren't," Raiden answered.

"_It's fading…"_ Kurama growled softly, _"The wards are fading…"_

It was true. The pain of chakra flowing in and out of his body was ebbing away and it was getting easier to restrain himself from violent impulses. He was still tensed but his fatigue and drowsiness was only increasing.

Another flash of lightning caused Naruto to peer over the hawk to view below, watching as Akemi zipped quickly to avoid the _Little Girl_'s strike before throwing out her sai, electricity flowing from the blade towards the intended target, determined to make contact with the corpse child. Around them, the _Corpses_ were edging closer, circling the pair, waiting with eagerness. It took seconds to realize that their intent was to ambush her.

"She…" He started with delayed anxiety.

'_GOT YOU!'_

Naruto felt his heart stop. Akemi had spun out of the way a second too late. The child had grabbed her long strands of red hair, gripping tightly and causing the kunoichi to fall to her knees with a strangled cry. The _Little Girl_ laughed happily as she pulled the crimson locks roughly and took each pigtail into both her hands. Then she yanked the crimson tresses so hard that her forehead forcibly collided with Akemi's. The _Corpses_ wandered closer – so close that Naruto could barely see the pair in the middle.

'_Time to join your Papa…'_

Akemi smirked and the _Little Girl_ blinked, "You lose."

Raiden instantly steered the hawk in the direction of Bird Country, "Let's go!"

'_What?'_ The _Little Girl_ whispered angrily.

Akemi's smirk widened, "Raiton: Kage Bunshin no Jutsu – Lighting Element Shadow Clone Technique," Her body began to glow bright blue and the _Little Girl_ stepped back with a flinch, "_Boom_."

The clone exploded into a bright ball of white-blue before electric currents shot out intermittently, striking against the surrounding _Corpses_ and causing a collective cry of pain and outrage. The brilliance of light caused Naruto to shield his eyes with his right arm and he abruptly felt the hawk dip and lower in altitude.

"There!" Raiden shouted above the winds, "Akemi, get on!"

Naruto removed his arm just in time to see Akemi jumping along the village's rooftops before Raiden held out a hand. Another leap and she was straddling the space behind Naruto, releasing Raiden's helpful arm before putting both her hands on the Leaf shinobi's shoulders. Olive eyes raked over him worriedly to assess his condition. The hawk soared higher into the sky, gaining speed at Raiden's insistence.

"That should give us some time," Akemi stated, out of breath, "Majority of my chakra went into that last attack."

Raiden nodded, white hair flying around his face, "Good job, Akemi. I think it'll be enough. I don't think we'll be followed considering how slow the _Shadow_ began moving. They'll probably start to ignore us to focus on feeding."

"Right."

Naruto blinked sluggishly and his body sagged. The adrenaline and pain and panic from before were draining him into unconsciousness. The last thing he remembered was the feeling of relief coursing through his body as Akemi's petite hands squeezed his shoulders in silent reassurance.

They had made it. They were safe.

* * *

Sakura frowned as she gingerly wrapped a bandage around Sasuke's bare torso, inwardly wincing at the jagged laceration that spanned diagonally across his back. The wound had been cleaned with little trouble and a quick chakra scan showed no abnormalities with the injury, but it still looked painful – deep red and slightly bruised; the occasional scarlet trickle leaking through his new bindings prompted her to press her hand tightly against the damage to help stop the bleeding.

"I wish my chakra reserves weren't so low" The medical kunoichi whispered worriedly, "Are you sure you won't have Kasumi-san heal you?"

"Hn," Sasuke grunted in response.

Sighing, Sakura carefully applied tape to keep the compresses in place before removing her wind-swept pink hair from her face, "…Do you think he's okay, Sasuke-kun?"

The two were sitting on the roof of the Patrolling Facility, gazing out at the Tri-Point Forest – one filled with trepidation and the other staring in silent contemplation. Akio sat on the other end of the roof, accompanied by Souta, also quiet as they scanned the darkened skies and swaying tree-lines, waiting for the remaining members of their group. Everyone else had returned to _Base_ at Sakura's insistence – Isamu and Dai needed medical treatment and Shin and Kasumi had the chakra to perform their healing. Takeru had stormed off with little explanation but there was no surprise as to why he had.

"He'll be fine," Sasuke answered softly, still staring out at the darkness, "He's an idiot, but…" He trailed off and his shoulders shifted. Sakura pulled herself forward to sit on Sasuke's left side and glanced down at the three-pronged kunai he absently fiddled with.

"Yeah…" She whispered, panning her vision back to the forests, "…He's an idiot; but he's _our_ idiot."

Sasuke snorted but nodded his head in agreement nonetheless.

"Come on, Akio-nii-san," Souta's soft voice consoled across the expanse of the roof, "We all know how much Akemi-nee-chan complains, but we both know she's tough too. And Raiden-nii-san is with her," He pat Akio's slumped shoulders with a strained smile, "Please stop being so down. I feel like you're going to jump off this roof any second to find them."

"I just might," Akio muttered sullenly.

"Now, don't be irrational," Souta sighed, crossing his legs together and resting his elbows on his knees, chin propped up by his palms.

"You're one to talk," The red-head countered.

Souta glared at the teenager from the corner of his chocolate brown eyes but didn't respond.

"…We've been back for over an hour now," Sakura noted before she turned her head. She frowned at Sasuke's blood-stained cheeks and nudged her shoulder against his lightly, "How are you feeling, Sasuke-kun? How are your eyes?"

"…Later," Sasuke answered, side-glancing her briefly, "…Worry about it later."

Sakura hesitantly nodded. Later – after her chakra reserves had replenished and after they finally got an update on Naruto's status.

A sad smile slowly spread across Sakura's lips, "…I know it annoys you when I get self-destructive with my decisions; but I also _know_ that what I did today was wrong and dangerous. I almost got a lot of people killed…"

"Sakura–" Sasuke sighed.

"_No_," She interrupted hastily, "I'm acknowledging and owning up to this massive fault that I made. But also…I want to thank you," She ran a hand through her pink hair, "You and Naruto are always there – _saving_ me; getting me out of tough situations; and I don't know _what_ I'd do without you both," Her brows furrowed, expression pinched as if she were trying to figure out a puzzle, "When I woke up back there and saw you…I was so – _so_ – relieved," She shook her head, "And we had a _plan_. There was a chance that my team and I were going to be staying in the Rain Border Village yet you and Naruto _showed up_. You both came to my rescue! You both knew I was in trouble – and that…" She sighed, "…that made me so reassured yet so _angry_ too."

Sasuke blinked, "Angry?"

Sakura shook her head, "Maybe a little angry…but more _afraid_ than anything else. It's just…_my_ mistake could have cost you your life! The _Little Girl_ almost _touched_ you. And, now, Naruto has voluntarily stayed behind! And I'm just so _afraid_ – _all the time_!" She closed her eyes and placed a palm to her forehead, "I guess…all I'm saying is…I'm _thankful_ for all you and Naruto do for me but it _terrifies_ me, at the same time, how far both of you are willing to go to protect me."

"Sakura–"

Again, Sasuke was interrupted, but by the sudden static of their radio ear pieces. Sakura's hand immediately flew to her communication's device and Sasuke's head snapped back to the Tri-Point to scan the horizon.

"_Come in. Does anyone copy? This is Raiden calling _Base_. Come in._"

Akio and Souta were already scrambling to attain contact and the Leaf shinobi left it to them to get answers, yet they waited with bated breaths on their status.

"Raiden-nii-san!" Souta called out excitedly, "Are you okay? Are you with Akemi-nee-chan? What about Naruto-nii-san? Where are you?"

Another bout of static interference and Akemi's soft voice filtered through, heavy with fatigue – Akio's body immediately relaxed upon hearing her, "_We're a few miles away from Heiwanasu Village. We're all relatively unharmed. Naruto-san is unconscious, but fine. We're not being followed._"

Upon hearing the news Sakura's and Sasuke's bodies also relaxed from tension and Sakura could feel her eyes mist with relieved tears.

"_Naruto-san needs rest,_" Raiden spoke, "_We'll land at _Base_ and set him up in one of our rooms for easier transfer_."

Souta nodded, "Okay! We'll meet you there then!"

"_Over and out_."

"Thank Kami…" Sakura whispered as she allowed her head to fall into her hands, wiping away stray tears in the process.

"Come on," Sasuke grunted as he stood up; he pocketed Naruto's kunai before holding out a hand for her to take.

Sakura nodded and took his offered hand. Souta and Akio also stood from their perch and eagerly gestured for the Leaf shinobi to accompany them back to _Base_. The red-head was obviously in more positive spirits as they all walked back to the village and Souta spoke in grave – yet anticipative – detail of the entrance found in the Twisted Valley. Sasuke and Sakura lagged behind the boys, silent and lost in their respective thoughts.

"Unconscious…" Sakura muttered softly; her face crumpled with relief and she shook her head, "Stupid Naruto…"

It was several minutes after the group of four arrive at _Base_ that Sasuke's Hawk Summons landed. Raiden and Akemi carefully removed Naruto's body from the hawk's backside before Sasuke swept in to aid the white-haired male in bringing the blonde into the house; Souta ran inside to prepare a room and Sakura followed wordlessly. Akio approached Akemi who tiredly nodded an acknowledgement towards him; in response, Akio placed a hand on her head and ruffled her already unkempt red hair.

"Yeah, yeah, good to see you too," Akemi sighed as she pulled away with a scowl; yet her olive eyes were softer and her movements were more at ease in the presence of her brother.

"Seriously though," Akio responded as he lightly tugged on one of her pigtails, following her into the house, "Glad to have you back, Sis."

She smiled wryly, "Glad to be _alive_."

* * *

Sakura lightly ran her fingers across Naruto's forehead and through his spiky, blonde hair. She was assured by his even breathing, tracing her index finger along his whiskered scars before allowing green chakra to encase her palms, scanning his body for any irregularities. His chakra was steady – low, but steady – and he didn't have any physical injuries. According to Akemi, her best friend hadn't been touched by the _Creature _or the _Little Girl_ which gave her one less thing to worry about.

Her medical analysis reinforced the fact that Naruto only needed rest, just as Raiden suggested on the radio, and that his stunt with using the Kyuubi's chakra didn't result in any long-term negative effects.

"Oh Naruto," Her whisper was affectionate, "Always playing the hero…"

"Hn," Sasuke snorted in agreement.

Sakura threw a smile over her shoulder towards the Uchiha, who stood silent, leaning against the doorframe. Her expression faltered, however, when she noticed him rubbing at his eyes, unaware of her concerned stare.

Sighing, Sakura ran her hand once more through Naruto's golden locks before taking a stand, "Rest up, Naruto; I need to attend to another hero of the night."

When Sakura turned back to Sasuke he was staring at her with a raised brow of curiosity. The medic only shook her head before ushering him out of the bedroom and leading him to one just down the hall of Naruto's.

"Sit," She ordered softly as she pointed to the bed in the corner of the room.

Sasuke sighed, "Sakura, it's fine, you don't have to–"

"_Sit_," The kunoichi enforced, jabbing her index finger with extra emphasis towards the bed, "I'll be right back."

Before Sasuke could utter a protest Sakura had left the room and with a resigned breath he took the seat, wincing faintly as his backside injury throbbed. Seconds later the kunoichi breezed back into the enclosed space with her medical pack hanging off one shoulder.

Placing her pack on the nearby desk, Sakura absently twirled her index finger in Sasuke's direction, "If you can turn around, Sasuke-kun, I'm going to start with your back."

The Uchiha was about to restart his protests when a glare from her piercing emerald irises caused him to pause and reluctantly do as he was told. Sakura approached his seated figure as he knowingly removed his shirt and she delicately began to unravel the gauze around his torso. She was pleased to see that his injury wasn't infected and that healing it, even hours later, wouldn't affect any future scarring.

"How's the pain with your eyes?" Sakura inquired, hands glowing bright green as she hovered healing chakra across the diagonal laceration, watching as the skin slowly knit together and the bruised coloring begin to gradually fade away.

"They're fine," He muttered in response.

"Don't lie to me, Sasuke-kun," She admonished. When he remained rigidly silent the medic tugged a lock of his hair at the nape of his neck, "Come on. Do they feel like they're burning? Blurry vision? Headache?"

More silence answered her. Another tug of blue-black hair, and Sasuke sighed, "It doesn't burn. The blurry vision isn't long-lasting…And I feel a slight headache in occasional sharp pains."

Sakura smiled and ran her finger down the length of his smoothed back, making sure the injury was completely healed, "Was that so hard?" He answered with a grunt and Sakura rolled her eyes before tapping his shoulder, signaling for him to turn and face her, "Heroes, you and Naruto may both be, but sometimes your actions can be so…_annoying_."

Obsidian irises stared at her, affronted, "Earlier you were _thanking_ us for our actions."

"And if you remember, I said I was _angry_ of them also," Sakura defended herself, "You two just bring out a whole bunch of emotions out of me," She sighed as she placed her fingers against his temples, seeping chakra along the nerves of his eyes to soothe the discomfort he was feeling, "I'm thankful – _really, I am_ – but sometimes I can't help but think you two are _too overprotective_. It's a contradictive feeling, really…"

"…Contradictive…?" Sasuke repeated slowly.

"Yeah," Sakura affirmed, now moving her healing chakra towards the Uchiha's temples to help alleviate his headache, "I'm grateful, but there's a part of me that thinks – I can take care of myself. I don't like when you two jump in front of me to fight battles that _I_ can fight. A small part of me is angry because of my insecurities of being _weak_–"

"But you're not weak–" Sasuke began.

"I know that," Sakura interrupted, "I _know_ that. It's the bigger part – the _guilty_ part – that doesn't like seeing you and Naruto getting hurt for me," She pulled her hands away from his temples and he patiently stared up at her as she continued in softer tones, "…You both came after me tonight. Naruto risked his _life_. You used _Amaterasu_ when I told you _not to_ – we both know the risks that come with utilizing such a dangerous technique! You could have gone blind; you _could have _lost your Sharingan completely!"

"I'm not blind, Sakura; my Sharingan is unaffected," Sasuke responded calmly, still patient, "And Naruto is fine too. Stop worrying."

"Then stop risking your lives for me," Sakura argued weakly – it was an unreasonable request only because she knew she wouldn't stop doing the same for _them_.

Sasuke closed his eyes, "Tch. We both know we're not going to stop."

The kunoichi sighed, staring down at him with resignation, "I know. I can't see _why_ though." Her latter statement was a mutter mostly for herself as she took a step back from his personal space.

"The _dobe_ has a hero-complex," Sasuke answered with a shrug.

She couldn't help but snort at the response, "And you, Sasuke-kun? Is that hero-complex rubbing off on you?"

The Uchiha instantly scoffed, "No."

Sakura chuckled and with a sad smile she reached out and slowly traced the dried blood tracks along his cheek. Then her sad smile morphed into a sad frown, brows furrowed as she recalled the reason why those scarlet tears marred his pale skin.

"Even if you don't stop," Sakura whispered softly as she shifted her emerald eyes to connect with bottomless obsidian, "It still doesn't erase the fact that I _hate_ seeing you both get hurt for me," She blinked and looked away from his piercing gaze, "I'm always _afraid_ of what might happen. I can't help but wish it would happen to _me_ if it would mean taking away any pain you and Naruto would endure."

She sighed, suddenly looking very exhausted, and removed her warm touch from his cheek, beginning to turn away from him to start cleaning up his discarded bandages.

As her soft words registered in Sasuke's mind a brief '_what if_' flashed through his head. If he hadn't used his body as a barrier against the _Little Girl_; if he hadn't used _Amaterasu_ to prevent the _Creature_ from grabbing her – Sasuke couldn't help but imagine a scenario where Sakura was dragged away into the darkness and ripped apart like all the other _Curse_'s victims. Just _thinking_ about it bothered him immensely.

And although he knew Sakura was capable of taking care of herself he didn't want to risk the _chance_ of her getting hurt or killed; not when _he_ could take the pain of the attack; not when he was present, willing to trade his own life if it meant being able to protect her and keep her safe.

Without even thinking – acting out of fear of not being able to see her smile, hear her voice, feel her mere presence – Sasuke grabbed her wrist, needing to be in tangible contact of her. His quick but firm grasp prompted Sakura to halt her own mechanical movements and she stared at him, brows pinching, concerned that he might still be in physical pain considering the intense look on his face

"Sasuke-kun…?"

And continuing to impulsively act – driven by fear and need and maybe even desire – Sasuke pulled her closer to his sitting form, bringing her body between his legs and causing her knees to knock against the bed frame. Ignoring her worried and confused expression, Sasuke resolutely pulled her down with a tug of her wrist, caught her cheek with his free hand, and gently caressed her lips with his own.

Unsurprisingly, she froze under his unexpected touch, stunned by the gesture of intimacy, failing to respond in her dazed uncertainty. Though his right hand cupped her cheek, wanting to keep her anchored to him, Sasuke mindfully kept his hold loose, making sure she knew that she could pull away at any time.

The first few seconds of Sasuke's intimate action was a simple touch and hold of the lips; when he moved to pull away Sakura hesitantly responded – shy and unsure. Her wide eyes of surprise fluttered to a blissful close, right hand resting against his bare chest as she leaned in closer, craving for more. Sasuke was quick to answer, left hand releasing her wrist to curl around her waist – his repressed emotions seemed to explode throughout his body ignited by simple passion and need.

Slowly, he pulled away, breaths heavy, watching as Sakura caught her own breaths with closed eyes; he waited until she looked up at him, darkened emerald connecting with smoldering obsidian, "…This is why I would endure it, Sakura," She blinked at his husky words, staring down at him with absolute wonder, "…_This_ is why I protect you."

"Sasuke-kun…"

The past five days seemed to race through their minds in that one moment.

For Sakura, a simple C-Ranked healing mission had turned into an S-Classed problem that direly needed solving. The things she had witnessed since stepping across the threshold of the Rain Border Village had put her mind in a perspective state – a live or die mentality. The unknown of their adversaries and the slow progress that was being made in solving the mystery had made Sakura paranoid – _afraid_ – and uncertain of the future. So in _this_ moment – this _one_ moment as she lived in the present and for _herself_ – Sakura didn't want it to end. Because being wrapped in Sasuke's arms brought her back to the night when he had helped her sleep – it reminded her of the safety and peace he provided her.

For Sasuke it was much simpler for him. He had left Earth Country with Naruto fearing what had happened to their teammate – fearing that she had been caught in a trap that would cause her to disappear from their lives forever. Yet even after they had found her, covered in blood and accompanied by a stranger, Sasuke's fear hadn't lessened but instead grew – _grew_ from disbelieving Sakura's haunting stories to seeing the extent of the _Curse_'s power and the apparent fixation they seemed to have with his female companion. He undoubtedly cared for her well-being, protected her, and comforted her to the best of his ability; but when he saw her being dragged away from him just hours prior, so close to being sucked into the darkness, never to be seen again, his fear had escalated – because he couldn't _imagine_ any life _without_ Haruno Sakura – it wasn't an option.

And because there was still that possibility that something – _anything_ – could happen to either of them during this mission, Sasuke couldn't help but feel like he should take action. A selfish action – but he couldn't accept harboring any regrets.

No regrets.

"Sasuke-kun…" It was barely a whisper but, with their foreheads pressed together, the slightest of noises and movements were noticed. She raised her right hand and lightly ran her fingers through his hair, eyes never leaving his, her body almost trembling with the amount of emotions rapidly rushing through her.

The silence between them stretched and out of nervous force of habit Sakura licked her lips. Sasuke's eyes darted downwards and his grip on her waist tightened. Unconsciously, the kunoichi repeated the action and with a muttered curse the Uchiha captured her lips in another kiss, his movements a little more aggressive, but it was received without complaint.

It was minutes of sighed words, gasps of breaths, her petite fingers traveling the expanse of his bare chest, and his calloused hands languidly caressing her slim waist beneath her shirt. It was simple touch and the exchange of air – needy and wanting, in the beginning, before slowing down into sweet and pleasurable relish. She released his bottom lip with a soft smile before brushing her mouth leisurely along his jaw, stopping at his ear to murmur his name once again. He pulled her flush against him, trailing his nose along her shoulder and taking in her uniquely addictive scent.

The door to the room was open and, as much of a temptation as it was to close it, lock it, and continue their heated actions, they both knew that it wasn't the right time. With a soft, satisfied hum, Sakura pulled away from the Uchiha and climbed onto the bed, crawling around Sasuke to lie down, pink hair splayed across the pillow and back pressed against the wall. He watched her silently, examined her flushed skin as she closed her eyes with a smile, and stood up to close the door until only an opened fraction remained.

"…I…" Sasuke turned back to her and she blinked up at him, mouth opened in indecision, before she pat the empty space beside her. The Uchiha quietly did as she requested, laying comfortably on his back now that his injury had been healed. Sakura hesitantly moved closer, pressing her forehead against his left shoulder and feeling warm when he shifted in response to curl his left arm around her upper body.

"…Thank you, Sasuke-kun," She whispered, lips brushing against the skin of his bare arm, _'For caring; for protecting me; for being here – for everything.'_

Sasuke's hold around her tightened and his body relaxed with the knowledge that she was safe, silently promising himself, and her, that she would remain that way,"…Aa."

* * *

Sakura didn't like that she was wide awake. Just the night before she had been wishing for the chance to have a decent night's rest, tossing and turning in an unfamiliar bed and desperately wishing that Sasuke – or even Naruto – would be able to help her achieve a peaceful respite of sleep. But even as she lay comfortable and content beside the quiet Uchiha, as they had done once before, she couldn't help but recall the events of the past couple of hours.

Sasuke wasn't asleep either. She could tell by the quickness of his breaths, which didn't match that of a slumbering individual; and his chakra wasn't dormant with unconsciousness. Idly, the young woman traced the arm her cheek rested against with her index finger, following the contours of his muscles and taking comfort in the warmth his skin possessed. Sasuke's thumb would brush against her back in response and the small gesture relaxed her – actually made her _wish _for _simpler_ times – and it relieved her that they had lived through yet another dangerous night. She felt fortunate that she was where she was – safe in Sasuke's protective embrace.

"You're not tired," Sasuke observed softly, but Sakura could hear the underlying query.

She shook her head in reply, "Too much to think about."

"You should rest," His suggestion was firm.

"_You_ should rest _too_," She countered wryly.

"…Hn," His grunt was petulant and Sakura couldn't help her soft grin.

Her fingers lightly traveled up his arm and over his torso, running the tips across his warm skin, taking absent notice of every scar that littered his toned abs and strong collarbone. She blinked, vision swimming with memories of their time in the Tri-Point Forest, mouth tugging into a frown.

"You know…when you're fighting for your life, a lot of details can slip past you when you're in the moment," Her words were thoughtfully whispered, "Important details," She then bit her bottom lip, brows furrowing steeply, "Then you take the time to stop and think about it. At first you're confused, then you realize something – _realize_ those details could have helped – and then you become angry that you hadn't figured everything out earlier."

"…What kind of details?" Sasuke asked, curious.

Sakura shook her head, "…It was chaos, Sasuke-kun. We were scrambling. But didn't you notice…?" She lifted her head to stare up him, her expression pinched with irritation – though it was directed towards the past situation, "…Didn't you notice that every _Corpse_ we cut down was a test subject we could have taken back? Didn't you _see_ that the _Deformed_ attacked blindly and even _ate_ their allies? Didn't you detect the fact that the _Little Girl_ took a more active part in attacking after you had used _Amaterasu_? She usually stands back and _talks_…but this time…she was determined to touch you. The only time that's happened was during my first night at the Rain Border Village – when Yoshiro was dragged into the Forest and I ran after him – but even _then_ it was only a game to her. _This_ time she was aggressively trying to get to us."

"…Maybe they're getting impatient in capturing you…" Sasuke offered.

"…Maybe…" Sakura whispered, "…But her _focus_ was on _you_. Maybe she was trying to get you out of the equation. You're strong, Sasuke-kun; you saw what your _Amaterasu_ did to the _Shadow_. You're a powerful force that's protecting me." She frowned as she looked away from him, twisting her head to lean comfortably against the Uchiha's shoulder, "I have a feeling that the targets on both your head and Naruto's head have just gotten a lot bigger…"

"Better on ours than on yours," Sasuke grunted.

His response only prompted a deeper frown from the kunoichi. Of course she didn't like it. She had enough to worry about – solving the mystery, keeping herself from being captured by these _creatures_ – and the additional worry for Sasuke and Naruto, being targets _to_ _kill,_ just so that the enemy can get to her, was another weight of anxieties on her shoulders.

Fear for her two best friends caused her to shut her eyes tightly and shake her head – forcefully trying to get rid of the bad thoughts and scenarios from her mind. Her nose bumped against Sasuke's collarbone and she gratefully took comfort in the warmth he offered, appreciative of the security and safety he provided by keeping his single arm wrapped around her when she knew that he was unaccustomed to intimate, physical contact. She hadn't realized just how much she relied on his physical presence being beside her – and now willingly _holding_ her – until she actually had it.

Suddenly, Sakura stiffened.

"…Realized it…?" She muttered softly as she sat up, brows pinching together in contemplation.

Sasuke sat up also, watching the young woman as she glared at her lap intensely, "Sakura."

Her green eyes suddenly snapped up to meet his and he recognized a clarity in them that meant that she had just discovered something – something _important_.

"You can't realize something – you can't _know_ anything – unless you encounter it," Sakura stated firmly, "Information – _knowledge_ – is gained through _experience_. So how can they _know_? How _do_ they know?"

Lost, Sasuke shook his head, "I'm not following."

"The warnings," Sakura growled as she began to crawl off the bed, absently smoothing out the wrinkles of her clothes and her slightly unruly hair, "There can only be warnings if it's happened before, right?"

Her emerald irises had now hardened with determination and Sasuke could see her eyes begin to narrow with anger. Bewildered – and inwardly annoyed by it – the Uchiha was left with no choice but to follow the kunoichi as she purposefully strode out the room and down the stairs to the ground floor. Fortunately, just as she reached the foot of the staircase, Daisuke rounded the corner, running a tired hand through his shoulder-length brown locks, clearly heading to his room to get some rest during whatever hours were left of the night.

Sasuke noted that all the lights were on and the distinct voices of Raiden, Kasumi, Shin, and even Masahiro could be heard towards the rear of the house, which meant a follow-up meeting had been taking place.

"Daisuke!"

Sasuke watched from the first landing of the staircase as Sakura stepped in front of the puzzled Bird Chuunin, green eyes burning with accusation. She crossed her arms over her chest, standing in front of the stairs to block his ascent, and widened her stance with a firm-frozen resolve.

"Sakura-san?"

"Who is it?" Sakura questioned lowly, glare narrowing on the Bird Ninja's confused expression.

"Sorry?"

"I need some answers and you're going to _tell me_," Sakura growled, her forwardness surprising even the Uchiha, "_Who is it_?"

Dai opened his mouth, still thoroughly mystified as he darted his gaze from the intense kunoichi to the equally baffled Uchiha and then back again, "I don't understand–"

"_Who_ _is it_?" She repeated again, a little more aggressively as she took a step forward, green eyes burning, "You know someone who's been affected by _them_. You're _hiding_ something."

Dai's bemused expression suddenly turned into apprehension and, immediately after, morphed into fear and uncertainty. Sasuke frowned at the quick shift of emotions and took another few steps down the stairs, instantly suspicious.

"Sakura-san–"

"_Who is it_?" Sakura asked a final time, impatience highlighting her penetrating features, "You always tell us – _warn_ us – not to be touched by the _Shadow _or _Little Girl. Why is that_? _Why_ can't we touch them?" She took another step forward, her glower intimidating and causing Dai's worried frown to deepen, "So _tell me_, Daisuke_: who is it you know that's been touched_?"

* * *

**A/N:** YAY! A faster update! I'm on a roll! Hope you liked this chapter and the **SasuSaku-ness**! Please tell me what you thought about it. I hope the situation and scene was believable for a horror story like this one. And **yes**, _originally_ this chapter was named _**Secrets**_, but I decided to split it into _Two Parts_. The next chapter will be called _**No Secrets**_. I'd greatly appreciate your feedback, from new and continuing readers; it'll really help for future chapters! **Warning** – next chapter might be a bit of word vomit and explanations! But since we're at the halfway point, things are really going to pick up in the horror aspect.

**Sooooo**…if we break the **600+ Review Mark**…definitely a motivation to update _muuuuuch_ quicker, heehee, I _**really**_ want to know what you guys think, I'm so CURIOUS!

**BTW:** How do you readers feel about the **Original Characters? **What do you guys think about **Daisuke**? How do you like the interaction of **Akemi and Akio**? How about **Akemi**'s role in Naruto's rescue? Are you guys _suspicious_ of any characters? Tell me what you think of them! :)

**As For NARUTO:** All that has been discovered about his connection with _The Curse_ and his Kyuubi chakra is that when he activates his Kyuubi chakra near the _creatures_ it has a negative effect on his body. No one knows why yet and it may be discovered further more along the story – so, hope you keep reading to find out! All Naruto knows is that the _creatures_ are attracted to his chakra so that's why he willingly sacrificed himself to help his comrades get away – although he went into it not knowing too much about the effects. He acted on a hunch pretty much – but that's Naruto for you, taking action at the cost of himself if it means others will be safe. I love him! (…And _of course_ I wouldn't kill him off!)

**And Team Kakashi/Sai/Hinata**…definitely should be making another appearance soon. :)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto and Company. Just the Plot and Original Characters.

**Next Chapter:** _No Secrets_

**Next Update:** So, I was really good updating about a week later. I'll try again this week, if not, hopefully within two weeks…Thank you for your patience and support!

**Translations:  
**_Jutsu:  
_Naruto: **Hiraishin**:_ Flying Thunder God Technique  
_Akemi: **Rairyuu no Tatsumaki**: _Lightning Dragon Tornado_  
**Raiton: Rakurai**: _Lightning Jutsu: Lightning Strike_  
**Raiton: Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**: _Lighting Element Shadow Clone Technique__  
Other:  
_Heiwanasu Village: **Bird Border Village** – _Peaceful Nest Village_

**AND!** Has anyone watched the anime series **Darker Than Black** and **Sword Art Online**. Because those are my current obsessions. **Hei** is such a dark and brooding hottie (and his **Li** personality is so cute!). And **Kirito** is just freaking adorable. Now I'm gonna flail with them in my dreams (with **Sasuke-kun** of course!)

**Thank You to all readers and reviewers! You're the BEST!**

I have a **Tumblr** now, called **SincerelyLen**. It's more of a **personal blog** if you're interested, but I have a few fiction recs and quotes I will put up and reference also. My **Twitter** was a _**fail**_ since there's only so much I can say in a small box. **Blogs** are more my thing. Add me if you'd like?

**Please Check-Out My Other Fictions!**

**Updates Soon to be POSTED!  
**_**(…hopefully…)**_  
_**Rehabilitation  
Psychotic  
Missing In Action  
Vengeance  
False Façade  
The Road of Touch; The Road To Feeling**_**  
A NEW STORY – **_**Confinement**_**  
AND EVEN MORE TO COME!**

**Thank You To Those Who Read And Review! You're AWESOME!**

_**LotzaLove!  
Len83  
aka  
Luvinukag83**_


	22. No Secrets

**The Curse**

_**Chapter Twenty-Two: No Secrets**_

Haruno Sakura was angry. The anxiety and fear of the past five days had mounted to a boiling point and all of her emotions were overflowing like unforgiving lava from a long-dormant volcanic mountain. The kunoichi was on a mission – she wanted _answers_ and the Bird Chuunin standing nervously before her was going to give them to her.

"…I…" He began softly, navy blue eyes darting everywhere but her face, jaw locking tight when nothing else followed his uneasy mutter. After several tense moments he ran a hand through his shoulder-length, brown hair before setting his lips into a grim line. He then connected his gaze with hardened – _expectant_ – emerald and exhaled a shaky, albeit resigned, breath, "…It's just…"

"…_Tell me_, Daisuke…" Sakura whispered firmly; her expression unrelenting.

The steady _tick-tock-tick-tock_ of a nearby clock filled the heavy silence – it was probably only a couple of hours after midnight. Sakura stood straight and strong just feet away from Dai; her arms were crossed over her chest and her hands were clenched tightly with impatience. Her stare didn't falter as she gazed at the Bird shinobi, the majority of her expression challenging yet softening fractionally with every second that passed, observing the internal conflict flashing over the young man's facial features.

Sasuke stood silently on the staircase – several steps above the ground floor – but he too stared at Daisuke intensely, frowning at the continued lack of response, clearly not possessing as much patience and sympathy as Sakura did.

"…Just tell them, Daisuke-nii-san…"

The soft voice that cut through the quiet caused all pairs of eyes to snap upward where chocolate-brown irises looked down at the scene with utter exhaustion. Souta sighed before making his way downstairs, side-stepping past Sakura, and taking a stand beside Dai, looking guilty but hopeful.

"…Souta?" Sakura whispered.

"…Hi…" He started lamely, even offering a weak wave – his eyes briefly shifted to Sasuke, who only stared at him blankly.

Sakura breathed out sharply, closed her eyes, and massaged the furrowed space between her brows, wanting to smooth them out, but failing, "…_What_ is going on? Be _honest_ with me, _please_."

"…Sakura-nee-chan…" Souta started.

_KNOCK. KNOCK._

Everyone's attentions snapped towards the front door a few meters away – Souta even jumped with startle – and Daisuke ran another tired hand through his hair as he walked away to answer it.

"Who the hell would be coming around at _this_ hour?" He muttered softly before turning the knob and pulling the wooden entryway open. He froze upon seeing their new company and Sakura craned her neck to try and see beyond but to no avail, the partially opened door and Dai's broad back prevented it. Dai sighed, "…What _timing_. What are _you_ doing here? It's late."

The voice that answered was muffled but Sakura's keen hearing easily caught the wry retort, "I came by earlier this evening. Masahiro-san told me you were in the Tri-Point. I figured you wouldn't get back until around this time – _if_ you got back, that is."

"Aren't you supposed to be at the Capitol?" Dai questioned, tone clearly conveying that he wasn't too pleased about his sudden appearance, "Why are you here? You're _never_ here."

"You _know_ why I'm here, Dai," The masculine voice countered, affronted – and Sakura was more curious than ever to see who was standing on the front porch of the house, "Fuck, you could be a little more _grateful_ – without me you wouldn't be getting _shit_. Who else gets you the ofudas you need; who else sends your Clinic the necessary medical supplies; who else oversees what needs to be done at the Capitol so this haunted village isn't _forgotten_?"

Dai remained silent throughout the entire tirade and Sakura noticed the mounting stiffness of his shoulders and the way his grip on the doorknob tightened until his knuckles were stained white. He shook his head before answering in a soft – barely discernible – whisper, "You would have done much more good _here_. With _us_."

Another tense silence stretched on. Sakura switched her gaze from Dai's rigid back towards Souta, who was glaring down at his shoes, hands fisted at his sides. Puzzled with the escalating situation, Sakura turned to Sasuke and found him to be staring intently at the pair under the doorway – and because he was standing several steps above her, the Uchiha could probably see the newcomer clearly over Dai's head.

"…Your brother's in the back," Dai stated dully, "With his _team_." He spat out the final word before stepping aside to allow the mysterious stranger in. His movement permitted Sakura the chance to gaze upon the young man, scrutinizing him as he walked in – his steps were heavy, shoulders slumped, hands shoved in his pant pockets.

He was a tall, young man, Sakura observed – probably just as tall as Sasuke and around the same age as herself and Dai. He had dark grey eyes that bordered on black and his hair was cropped short, falling over his eyes messily in platinum-blonde strands that almost looked white. He was dressed in civilian clothing but he walked with a confident gait that better-suited a shinobi. Even his body-build – lean and muscled – was similar to that of a trained ninja – but a quick chakra scan affirmed that his chakra levels were quite low and underdeveloped for his age.

"You know he's not the only one I want to see," The male mumbled softly, "_You_, of course, and–"

"Stop," Dai sighed as he closed the door, "I won't prevent you but just…don't talk to me like that. I'm not exactly welcoming you but I won't turn you away either."

The young man frowned but didn't comment, his eyes panning the space silently and falling on the youngest occupant of the room.

"Hey Souta," He greeted hesitantly.

"…Hey…" Souta responded weakly, chocolate eyes glancing up at him before darting back to the floor.

The stranger's eyes then shifted to both Sakura and Sasuke sweepingly, a brow rising in quiet interest.

"New recruits?" He asked Dai without removing his gaze from the two Leaf shinobi, a puzzled expression crossing his features when he took in Sasuke's less-than-dressed state.

"Necessary _help_," Dai corrected, emphasizing the final word and casting an accusing glare towards the taller male, which was ignored with little trouble.

He stepped forward and held out a hand towards Sakura, his gaze unflinching as he sincerely spoke, "…Thank you for coming. Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it," His dark eyes shifted to Sasuke to extend his gratefulness to the Uchiha before returning to Sakura, "My name is Akiyama Keitaro."

Sakura's green eyes widened with sudden recognition as she shook the man's firm grasp, "You're…"

He nodded, albeit solemnly, "Yes. Raiden is my older brother."

Sakura's eyes darted between Daisuke and Keitaro quickly. The former was staring at the platinum-blonde blankly and the latter patiently waited as Sakura took the scene in.

Because not only was Akiyama Keitaro Raiden's younger brother, but, if she remembered correctly, he was also Daisuke's former teammate – or at least, his former Academy classmate. He had decided not to become a shinobi after what happened to Daisuke's older sister, Aneko.

"And you are?" Keitaro inquired kindly.

Sakura blinked before shaking her head, "Sorry. I'm Sakura – Haruno Sakura of the Hidden Leaf Village," She quirked her head towards the staircase, "And my teammate, Uchiha Sasuke," She released his hand and pointed her finger upwards, "Our other teammate, Naruto, is upstairs."

"Ah," He nodded, understanding, before stepping back and examining the kunoichi thoughtfully, "…Haruno Sakura?" Sakura nodded a confirmation and watched his dark eyes suddenly blink with recollection before snapping towards Dai, "_She_'s the one? The one you were talking about?" A sense of foreboding washed over Sakura when Dai closed his eyes and Keitaro returned his full attention on her, "Then you've seen her, _right_? Can she be helped?"

Before Sakura could ask for any kind of clarification of his question, suspicions rising once again, Souta was sighing loudly and running aggravated hands through his brown hair and Dai was moving forward, taking a stand closer to the group.

"She hasn't seen her yet, Keitaro," Dai answered.

The man frowned, switching his stare between the kunoichi and Bird shinobi, baffled, "Why not? Isn't that the reason why you wanted to call her here? Isn't that why you kept talking about her and her skills?"

"…I asked the _same_ thing," Souta muttered, earning a half-hearted glare from Dai.

"She's not up for visitors," Daisuke said in response, exasperated, "And Sakura-san wasn't ready – she needed more information – more experience – before I exposed her to this."

'_To what_?' Sakura couldn't help thinking – annoyed, '_What are they talking about?_'

"Are you _stupid_?" Keitaro growled angrily, "She doesn't have much time left – you can't just delay this so irresponsibly! A life, no–_lives_ are on the line!"

"I _know_ that!" Daisuke retorted.

"Then why are you _waiting_!"

"Because I can't stand the thought of her becoming a test subject!" Dai shouted.

Everything went silent. Souta stared between Keitaro and Daisuke with a deep frown. Both men were breathing heavily from their shouting – shouting that had probably been heard throughout the entire house. Sasuke and Sakura remained silent – bystanders to the dispute.

Dai exhaled heavily before turning his navy-blue gaze to Sakura, "…I was waiting until you got more information. I didn't want to expose her to you only to become one of your test subjects – not that you'd be inconsiderate to her but because she's already been through so much – _too much_. I didn't want you to know about her until you had a semblance of what was going on and perhaps a cure that could help her…"

"…_Who_ are you talking about…?" Sakura asked slowly; she was still at a loss and trying desperately to get a grasp on the situation. Sasuke had taken the last few steps down the stairs and had taken a stand beside her.

Silence. The _tick-tock-tick-tock_ of the nearby clock seemed to echo louder than before.

"…My older sister…" Souta finally whispered, quickly wiping his sleeve against the corners of his eyes; slowly he looked up to pierce saddened chocolate-brown with bewildered emerald-green, "…Yoshida Kaya…"

Sakura blinked. Kaya – Yoshida Kaya – the final member of Daisuke's team. Another missing piece to Daisuke's mysterious past. Souta wouldn't meet her gaze and the tension between Keitaro and Daisuke seemed to increase to highly uncomfortable levels.

"…You mean…" Sakura swallowed and strengthened her soft voice, "You mean to say that Kaya is _alive_?"

"Barely," Keitaro half-whispered, half-scoffed, earning glares from both Souta and Dai.

Sakura's innate desire to help others increased. She quickly pushed aside her earlier anger of a secret being kept from her and shook her head, "If she's alive, where is she? If I can help her…Just _show_ me where she is!"

"It's too dangerous," Dai stated lowly, firmly – this time, Keitaro and Souta glared.

"We just _lived_ through a night of dangerous!" Sakura countered, "If I can help this girl – your _teammate_, his _sister_ – then bring me to her!"

"Not just dangerous for you, but for her as well," Dai explained calmly, "_Kaya_ is the one who has been touched by the _Creature_. _She_ was the one who had been grabbed all those years ago, and the result of that has created a half-alive, half-dead girl – a _shadow_ of the person we all once knew."

"You don't know that," Keitaro argued, "She has her clear moments–"

"_Occasionally_," Daisuke spat, "She's a _doll_. A girl _possessed_. She's dangerous – a link to those _creatures_. We've closed her off to the world – to keep everyone, including _her_ – safe."

Sakura blinked and the pieces in her mind clicked together, "…She's in that house, isn't she? Your old house; in the Southern District; the basement."

Dai's eyes widened, "How did you–"

"I had my suspicions," Sakura interrupted seriously, "I've had my bad feelings and followed them; I heard some noises; I saw the ofuda on the window," She shook her head; "You shouldn't have kept this to yourself, especially if me and my teammates could have been affected – it left us completely unprepared."

"I said that by touching them, _you die_," Dai defended, "I think that was enough reason to avoid them."

"A pretty _vague_ reason," Sakura argued, irritated.

"You didn't object before," The Bird Chuunin muttered.

The kunoichi bristled furiously, "Sasuke was almost touched by the _Little Girl_ tonight! Naruto _stayed_ _behind_ to save our asses! Circumstances have changed! If there's any _future_ chance that we'll be coming into physical contact with these _creatures_ then I want us to be ready to _fight it_ or at least _cure_ whatever negative effects will follow when in that position!"

Green eyes burned as they narrowed dangerously on Dai. His navy irises regarded her half with stubbornness and half with growing guilt. Moments passed before Dai looked away with reluctant surrender towards her insistent glower and he bowed his head in unconscious defeat – gazing at the floorboards with quiet shame.

"No more secrets. We need to work together from now on if we want to figure this out," Sakura whispered with finality.

More silence followed as everyone mulled the sudden turn of events in their heads.

"…And I'd like see Kaya-san as soon as possible," The medical kunoichi stated firmly; her tone left no room for argument.

Souta eagerly nodded his head, renewed hope shining in his brown eyes. Keitaro looked at Dai who closed his eyes and jerked his head in acquiesce also.

"…She's resting now; it's late," The Bird Chuunin whispered before connecting his stare with Sakura's, "We'll go tomorrow, once we've gotten our own rest. I promise."

Sakura agreed without hesitation, "Good."

* * *

Naruto blinked several times and looked around with confusion and curiosity. He was standing in the middle of a desolate field surrounded by thickening mists that made it difficult to see beyond a couple of meters. He shivered, staring up at the grey skies, uncertain of the day's progression, before looking around for any familiar landmarks.

He found none.

"Where am I?" He muttered as he began walking across the crop-less turf, rubbing his hands together to try and retain any warmth, "…What was I…" He scratched a hand through his blonde spike, "What was I doing before this?"

Aimlessly wandering through the foggy haze Naruto's confusion only grew, searching desperately for anything familiar to him, panic gripping his heart when his efforts were in vain.

"Sakura-chan!" He shouted, voice quivering with fear as he snapped his blue eyes around, uneasiness increasing, "Sasuke-teme! Where are you guys?"

Brows pinching together with concern for his teammates' safety, Naruto's steps began to quicken, breaths becoming ragged. The field was never-ending – he couldn't see a single person, a single structure, _anything_ that could help him figure out where he was or what was going on.

"Kurama," He muttered desperately, seeking companionship from the fox-demon sealed inside his body, "Hey, Kurama, are you there?"

When there was no response, no familiar drawl of annoyance from the Nine-Tailed Beast, Naruto's anxieties amplified and adrenaline began to pump through his veins, his heart beating rapidly against his chest.

"_Anybody_?" Naruto shouted, pumping chakra through his legs as he ran faster and faster through the dense mist, "Somebody? Sakura-chan? Sasuke? Where are you? _What's going on_?"

He stopped running, his breathing labored, and he rested his hands on his knees as he tried to steady himself, blue eyes darting around frantically, and apprehension rising when nothing was different from when he first started moving. Had he been running in circles?

"What was I doing before this?" Naruto growled to himself with irritation, shaking his head, trying to remember.

"_Emi…?_"

Naruto froze. A sense of recurrence washed over him. He twisted his head around in an attempt to find the origination of the voice but found nothing beyond the surrounding fog.

"Hello?" He called out.

"_Emi…where are you?_"

It was the voice of a child – a young girl – and Naruto stood to full height, narrowing his blue eyes to see through the haze but finding nothing. He started walking in the direction he thought he had heard the voice but its echo made it hard to discern exactly where.

"Has this happened before?" Naruto asked himself, scratching the side of his head in bafflement.

A shadow cut briefly through the mists that caused Naruto's heart to jump with surprise. The distinct sound of light footsteps going _tap-tap-tap-tap_ gave the blonde initiative to quicken his pace and follow the fading sounds.

"Wait! Come back!"

"_EMI!_"

The resounding scream made Naruto's heart stop for a brief second before restarting at a hastened beat, his fear escalating. He had to save the child! But where was she?

What seemed like _hours_ of running was only seconds when a small, shadowed form in the distance began to take shape. Wary, Naruto began to slow down, his muscles tensing with unease as the sound of sobs reached his keen hearing.

"Hey," He called out gently when he was only a few yards away from the hunched form, "Are you okay?"

The child wildly shook her head back and forth, brown hair flying with her movements, her sobs unrelenting. She sat on her knees, back facing him, arms pulled tightly against her chest.

"What's wrong, kid?" Naruto asked, edging closer cautiously, "What's your name?"

She started sniffling, trying to stifle her sobs before answering in a soft whisper, "_My Emi…My poor Emi…_"

Naruto blinked, confused, "Emi? Who's that? Are you Emi?"

The child shook her head again before slowly turning, her long, brown hair covering her face, "…No…"

The Leaf shinobi tilted his head to try to attain a better view of her.

"Your fault," She whispered and a sudden gust of wind blew the hair from her face – Naruto yelped with surprise, backpedaling away from the girl and her blood-stained cheeks, eye sockets completely empty and mouth frozen in a wide grin, "_You didn't save my kitty…"_

Naruto tripped over his feet subsequently causing him to fall on his backside with a painful _thud_. He watched with wide eyes as the child stood up and slowly began to walk towards him, brown hair bleeding into a dark black, neck twitching eerily as she raised her right arm, pointing her index finger at him as if condemning.

"Who _are_ you?" Naruto shouted, heart racing as the sounds of mass groaning and haunting whispers began to flood his eardrums.

"_Don't you remember, Naruto-kun_?" The child giggled melodiously, flash-stepping until she was right in front of him, "_Amaya-chan…Amaya-chan…Amaya-chan…Don't you forget it._"

Her finger was a mere millimeter from the tip of his nose and he flinched away as much as possible, wondering why his body wasn't moving, "Get away from me!"

The _Little Girl_ giggled and rested her finger against his nose and _freezing cold_ flooded his veins and filled his senses, "_Time to die, Naruto-kun_."

* * *

"_AHHHHHH_!"

"_Eeeeeeep_!"

"_Shit_!"

There was a loud _crash_, a light _thud,_ and a subsequent shattering of glass and porcelain. Naruto's blue eyes were wide, sweat rolling down the sides of his face as he stared at the far wall of an unfamiliar bedroom, hands tightly clenched around the blanket that had been draped over his body.

"…Naru-nii…?"

The soft, timid voice caused Naruto to seize up with anxiety, blue eyes snapping towards the side of the bed where tiny fingers were clutching. A head of shining, black hair appeared slowly followed by bright irises of silver-grey. In his present mindset, Naruto jumped away from the small figure, eyes wide, pulling the blanket up higher in a weak attempt of protection.

"Oh _fuck_–"

"_Jeez_!" Akemi swept into the room, brows drawn together as she brushed her red bangs from her olive-green eyes and swiftly picked the child up into her arms, "_Language_!"

The child grasping Akemi's neck buried her face against the kunoichi's collarbone, a whimper escaping her and her tiny shoulders shaking. Naruto blinked at the pair in bewilderment as reality slowly began to return to his senses. He peered over the bed and looked down at the broken porcelain plate scattered across the floor, accompanied with crumbled cookies and spilt milk.

Across the room, Takeshi Isamu was wincing in slight pain, rubbing his right hand against his head and sitting up on the floor beside a fallen chair. His left arm was bandaged tightly but he was capable of moving the injured limb, raising it up slightly in a brief wave.

"…Reika-chan…" Naruto whispered in sudden realization, his features crumpling in sincere apology as he regarded the child in Akemi's embrace, "I'm so sorry, Reika-chan, I thought you were…"

"…a monster?" She whispered softly, turning her head to look at him, silver-grey eyes brimming with unshed tears and bottom lip quivering faintly, "…It's okay. I have those bad dreams too. I'm sorry if I scared you, Naru-nii…"

"_No_!" Naruto started with his hands up in surrender, "I'm sorry for scaring _you_, Reika-chan! I don't know what I was thinking…" He shook his head and scratched a hand through his hair for further emphasis, "Really, I am."

Reika shook her head gently before signaling for Akemi to set her down, which the kunoichi reluctantly did; the child looked down at the mess on the floor and pouted, "I wanted to bring cookies and milk to make Naru-nii feel better. I got scared…"

"…when I shouted…" Naruto finished apologetically.

Reika shook her head again, as if to shake away his apologies, and smiled softly, "I can make more."

Naruto chuckled weakly, "You don't have to–"

"But I _want_ to!" She pressed genuinely, "If it'll help make Naru-nii feel better."

Slowly, a small, appreciative smile spread across Naruto's whiskered cheeks, "Thanks, Reika-chan, it probably will."

"Okay!" She clapped her hands together in delight.

Akemi grinned affectionately as she pat the younger girl's petite shoulders, "You go on ahead, Reika-chan. I'll clean this mess up. I don't want you getting hurt by the glass."

Reika flushed prettily before spinning on her heel, "Thank you, Akemi-nee. I'll make you and Isa-nii some cookies too!"

"Thanks, kiddo," Isamu beamed as he stood up while righting his fallen chair before retaking his seat upon it.

The three ninja watched the child skip out of the room before silence settled upon them. Naruto sighed before closing his eyes and Akemi quietly went about cleaning the scattered food and glassware.

"…Hey…Are you okay?" The kunoichi finally asked softly as she placed the mess inside the nearby trash bin.

"…Fine…" He exhaled slowly, he looked up and watched as the kunoichi moved about the room in her final tasks of cleaning, "…And um…thanks…for yesterday…"

Akemi paused just as she was about to step through the door, her head bowed, before she side-glanced him from over her left shoulder, a small smile lifting the corners of her lips, "…You were doing the same for me, and everyone else, when you stayed behind. It's the least I can do, Naruto-san."

Then she left the room, crimson hair swaying with her movements, before disappearing around the hallway corner. Sighing, Naruto blinked and ran a tired hand over his face before scratching his fingers through his blonde hair. The nightmare that had woken him was still fresh in his mind and his heart was still slowing from the emotions that rushed through him.

"Looking pretty pale there, Naruto-san," Isamu observed from across the room, grey-blue eyes scrutinizing him with concern, "You sure you're okay?"

He had forgotten that the Rain Ninja was in the room with him, but he shook his head nonetheless, "I'm fine. Just tired."

"Not surprising," Isamu agreed, leaning back on his chair, "Pulled quite a stunt last night. Pretty gutsy of you. I'm impressed – and thankful. We probably would have been goners without your help." Naruto looked up to regard the older male who was staring at the wall behind Naruto, head tilted with thought, "You slept through most of the morning, Naruto-san. Sakura-san sat by you as long as she could before she and Sasuke-san had to leave."

"…Leave?" Naruto asked, his company's words sinking into his still-sluggish head, "Where'd they go?"

Isamu's features hardened slightly, eyes narrowing as he glared at the wall contemplatively, "I guess Daisuke-san was keeping something from us-strangers and Sakura-san figured it out last night," He met Naruto's royal-blue eyes, expression less harsh than before, and shrugged his shoulders, "I wanted to go and find out for myself what was going on, but I decided to keep you company since Sakura-san looked so worry about you. Nice girl." He smiled, eyes glazing with reminiscence before shaking his head from the memory, "Either way, Sasuke-san and Sakura-san left a few hours ago to somewhere across the Village – I think I heard _Southern District_. They should be back before nightfall."

Naruto stared at his clasped hands, resting atop his blanket-covered lap, expression reflective of the new information, "…I see…"

A pensive silence filled the room. Naruto thought about what _he_ could do now that he was awake. It was a step in the right direction if Sakura had uncovered a new lead; and after his recent dream, there was something else – something new – that could be shared. Sasuke was with Sakura – which wasn't surprising considering it would be better to have a comrade present when entering unfamiliar territory…and _other_ reasons – so Naruto wasn't sure what _he_ could contribute.

"…Amaya…" Naruto whispered. That name had been said the night he had met Kasumi and Raiden; the same night he had helped save the child who had been looking for her kitten. He had forgotten it in the chaos, only remembering that the _Little Girl_ wanted to break through the barrier to kill him.

"What was that, Naruto-san?" Isamu asked, not hearing his mutter.

"…Hey, there are some files downstairs right?" Naruto asked, looking up to view the Rain shinobi.

Isamu scratched his cheek with his index finger, "I assume so. Why?"

"How about profiles?" Naruto inquired, pushing the blankets off his legs.

"You can ask Akemi…Doesn't she have it all color-coded or something?"

Naruto nodded, swinging his legs over the bed and standing up, taking his time so as not to strain his sluggish muscles, "Alright then, we're going to look for a file – anything with the name _Amaya_."

Isamu grinned, standing up with excitement, "Are we on to something?"

Naruto laughed, leaving the room and following the distinct scent of freshly-baked cookies to the lower levels, "We just might be."

* * *

Sakura stared at the harmless, white gate meters ahead of her. It looked the same as before under the midday sun. The simply-designed iron swayed lightly with the breeze, _creaking_ on rusty hinges with every slight shift. Beyond the entrance was the same dark pathway as before, leading into clearing that contained a single, run-down house…

…An old, abandoned house that sheltered a victim of _The Curse_…Yoshida Kaya.

Daisuke was the first to move forward, pushing open the gate with a _whine_, and stepping onto the leaf-littered trail without hesitation or fear, walking into the darkness with a strong and confident gait – a gait that showed that he was familiar with walking the path many times before. Keitaro followed after him, hands buried in his pant pockets, head bowed, and steps heavier; his shoulders were slouched but he too walked without fear – if only a little reluctantly…_sadly_.

Sakura stepped through the narrow entry first before waiting for Sasuke until they were side-by-side and they walked the darkened trail together. Anticipation was filling Sakura like a heavy weight in her stomach. The closer they arrived to their destination the more she began to realize what a _big_ step this was in solving the mystery. So many answers could be attained with this new discovery.

She examined the backsides of Makoto Daisuke and Akiyama Keitaro thoughtfully as they reached the clearing and crossed the threshold of the final black-iron gate, still yards away from the foreboding house ahead. Keitaro was taller, but his head remained bowed making him appear smaller – almost _defeated_. Yet Dai walked with his navy-blue eyes ahead, looking at the house with resolve, jaw tightened as he reached into his pocket and removed a set of keys.

They past the rusted mailbox and traveled up the short path and up the wooden stairs before stopping in front of the wooden, white-painted door. The Leaf ninja watched Dai insert a bronze key before opening the door, leading the group inside before closing the entrance and locking it with an echoing _click_.

The lights – which were oil lamps – were already lit and Sakura only assumed it was Souta's doing, since he had gone ahead of them to visit his sister alone. The house itself was dusty, furniture covered by cream-colored sheets, bare surfaces covered with dust, and corners decorated with spider webs. The residence looked completely abandoned and Dai ignored all else except for a single door at the end of the hall. Their steps as they walked caused the wooden floorboards to creak and when the door was opened Dai and Keitaro walked through without qualms, heading down a set of wooden steps – footsteps resounding loudly throughout the corridor.

"Stay alert," Sasuke whispered and Sakura nodded her agreement as she began her descent, well-aware that this could all be a trap.

The simple journey of going down the set of spiraling wooden stairs seemed to take forever for Sakura. A faint light coming from the foot of the staircase was her only aid to see where she was going and the further down she went the colder the air seemed to grow. As her hand brushed the walls for support, in case she stumbled, her fingers felt the familiar material of paper and she noticed through the shadows that the walls were decorated with an immense amount of ofudas.

These particular ofudas were different. They were activated but it wasn't as strong – it was _muted_ almost, so as not to attract too much attention, but still more powerful than average for the vicinity. Being underground probably helped and Sakura wouldn't doubt that even more were plastered to the walls around the house, above ground.

"You're here…" Souta's voice echoed quietly just as she reached the end of the staircase; she stepped forward, following the young boy's voice and the distant light deeper into the room through a narrow hallway.

"How is she?" Dai asked.

"…Quiet," Souta answered with a sigh, "I tried to get her to eat, but then she had another episode."

"They're becoming more frequent," Dai muttered, "We're running out of time."

"How about her clear moments?" Keitaro inquired softly.

"…The opposite," Souta responded sadly, "It's not happening as often as we'd like…We're losing her…"

Sakura stepped fully into the room, eyes narrowing with the invasion of light that filled her senses when she entered. Blinking to focus her vision, she looked around, examining the room with growing interest and curiosity.

It was a simple space, lit by surrounding oil lamps. A plain, wooden table that stood on four legs was pushed off to the side, against the left wall, and surrounded by three chairs; one chair was occupied by Souta. Further into the room was a worn couch, topped with folded blankets and several pillows. On her right side there was a small kitchenette stocked with basic necessities and the counter was filled with ingredients of a recently cooked meal.

However, what drew Sakura's attention the most was on the opposite end of the room, directly across from the hallway and the staircase that led to the upper levels. It looked like another room, something small, like that of an average hospital room, which took up a third of the basement. It was man-made, concrete, with a single steel door and a large landscape window that viewed the inside.

If Sakura would make any comparison, it looked like an interrogation room.

Daisuke and Keitaro were standing in front of the window, viewing the inside. Sakura could distinctly see beyond the glass, on the wall near the ceiling, the window she had discovered when she had first visited the ominous house. And just as she thought, an ofuda was plastered to the rectangular glass.

"…Kaya…" Keitaro whispered sadly.

Sakura stepped forward, aware that Souta was watching her, and cautiously took a stand beside the two men. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears and her blood rushed hotly through her veins. She looked through the large, clear glass, unaware that she was holding her breath as she scanned the mostly-empty room. It was actually a _very_ bare room and the floor was carpeted and the walls even looked lined with…_cushioning_.

A single bed was on the left side of the room and a small figure occupied it. Sakura leaned forward to discern the form better.

She was thin – malnourishment, Sakura presumed – and looked very frail curled up on her right side. She was facing them, eyes closed with sleep, long lashes touching her cheeks which were pale under the streaming sunlight from the high window. Her hair was a sleek black, growing down to mid-back, falling around her face in unkempt tendrils. If Sakura had seen this young woman in a healthy state she wouldn't have doubted that she would make a very pretty girl.

Kaya's arms were hidden and Sakura probed her body thoughtfully – from a medical standpoint – and noticed with surprise that the young woman was secured in a strait-jacket – an article of clothing that bound an individual to prevent self-violence.

"…She hurts herself…?" Sakura whispered; her voice was shaky with sadness.

Dai slowly nodded his head, "Only during her episodes…We'll let her out of the jacket when she's stable. But when we do…" He sighed, "…When we do she usually just sits in the corner."

"Does she ever say anything?" Sakura asked.

"Loads of things," The Bird Chuunin answered, "Most of it doesn't make sense though. When she's lucid, she prefers not to talk; on rare occasions she'll have _very_ clear conversations – but she only uses that time to get caught up on what's going on and to ask about Souta and the others…"

"So when she's completely coherent she knows what's going on with her," Sakura observed.

"Yeah," Dai exhaled heavily again, "She knows. She doesn't like it. She's getting tired. She's only holding on with the hope we solve this soon. She doesn't want to leave Souta alone."

Sakura glanced briefly over her shoulder at the boy sitting at the table who stared dejectedly at the wooden tabletop. She frowned sadly and returned her gaze back to Kaya.

"What are her symptoms?" Sakura asked as she removed her notebook and pen – she wanted to help this girl as quickly as she was able.

"The list goes on," Dai muttered as he walked away from the window and took a seat on the couch, "She hardly eats, she doesn't speak, her eyes are never focused, she tries to hurt herself, she tries to hurt _us_ – and it's getting _worse_."

Dai's voice became tinged with frustration the further he explained, glaring down at the floor as his hands fisted tightly against his knees. The more he spoke the more Sakura could see him losing his attention on the present and focusing completely on the past – thinking about all the experiences he had with the young woman tied up in the other room.

"…You know, this isn't your fault Dai…" Keitaro offered gently, dark-grey eyes never leaving Kaya, "…We were kids when this happened. There wasn't anything we could have done to prevent her from being touched…"

"…You're wrong," Dai answered in a fierce whisper, shaking his head as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, "_I_ told Aneko-nee-chan we should train in the Tri-Point that day. It _was_ my fault. We could have trained anywhere else but I wanted to go out there. And because of _me_, my sister is _dead_ and Kaya is…"

"Stop it, Daisuke-nii-san," Souta stated firmly, "…It _wasn't_ your fault."

Sakura didn't know what to say. She didn't know what to do. She could only stare as Dai ran both his hands in silent aggravation through his shoulder-length brown locks. Souta was watching him with sad, chocolate irises and Keitaro didn't turn away from the viewing window. She chanced a glance at Sasuke to see him staring at Dai also – his face was typically smoothed of expression but his eyes were softened, almost with a sympathetic grief. Losing a sibling was an unbearable pain.

"What else do you need to know, Miss Sakura?" Keitaro inquired, veering the conversation off topic.

Sakura blinked before nodding her head and returning her stare to the room beyond the clear glass, "So…this has been going on for…_ten years_?" At Keitaro's affirmative frown, Sakura's own lips tugged downward,_ "_How did it start…?"

"She was touched," The platinum-blonde replied softly, "The night Aneko was killed. The _Creature_ – her hair – latched onto Kaya's arm. Several days later, a mark appeared there, where she had been touched, and it slowly began to spread. The more it spread the more Kaya began to lose herself to episodes of paranoia. She would see things, hear things, and become more violent and reclusive."

"…It got so bad that we had to lock her up in here," Souta continued, "My parents didn't know what to do with her – they were just civilians – so they left her here under Dai-nii-san's care. I was only four when Kaya-nee-chan was attacked…so I grew up with her always battling whatever it is that's been haunting her," He smiled sadly, tears touching the corners of his eyes, "During times when she was coherent she'd always take the time to get to know me and spend time with me, but I only know most of _anything _about her through Dai-nii-san and Keitaro-nii-san," He brought his arm to his face, swiping at his eyes, "But I want to get to know her myself. I want her to get better. I may not know my sister as much as I would like…but I still love her."

Sakura felt her heart pain as Souta spoke. The sadness in his voice was so palpable and she could feel tears start to mist over her own eyes as well. To have grown up seeing a sibling in pain and robbed of the chance to create and cherish that bond – it was harsh and heartbreaking.

"We'll fix this Souta," Dai whispered, nodding his head, reassuring himself even, "We'll save her."

"I hope so…"

Silence settled as Sakura traced her gaze over Kaya's still, even-breathing form. Her pale face was slack but still serene in her unconsciousness.

"It was during the past year that things started getting worse," Dai began, "At first, during her episodes, Kaya would only isolate herself – she'd stop talking, stop eating, and stay locked up in her room. Her paranoia would only go as far as hearing things or seeing things. It scared her – she'd come running to me and Keitaro, ask us if we were experiencing what she was but we didn't. We didn't see or hear whatever it was she saw or heard. So she'd get frustrated, sometimes cry herself to sleep or ask to stay with someone for the night so she wouldn't be alone. Any other person saw her as crazy – _strange_ – but because of what we saw in the Tri-Point we immediately connected her troubles with what happened that night."

"It was probably about five years ago that we noticed an _effect_ by the mark on her arm," Keitaro carried on, "She would start to scratch at it – _a lot_. When her episodes started to get more severe she began to hurt herself and mutter things – so we brought her here, to watch out for her and keep her safe, as much as we were able."

Sakura nodded. There were times when Dai would mysteriously disappear from _Base_. She assumed he went off home to get rest since he never slept in the mansion with everyone else but now she realized that it was _here_ that he went. As a matter of fact, Dai had taken a while to get back to _Base_ after he left to find a residence for Team Kakashi to reside. He had probably gone to check on Kaya since he had been in Rain Border Village – with her – for a couple of days.

Keitaro moved away from the window to sit on the couch beside Dai and Sakura blinked, tilting her head as she tapped her pen against her lips, "You said she _muttered_ things…What would she say?"

Dai frowned, "It's hard to tell, she whispers her words – so _softly_. And she mumbles them. She'll slide into the corner to avoid me when I try to talk to her. And during her clear moments she can't recall what she said – she only tells me what she feels – which is usually _afraid_."

Sakura wanted to talk to this woman more than ever.

"I could swear she says _'let it out'_," Souta said as he shook his head with memory, "Or _'get it out'_ and maybe pleading, like _'please'_ or _'help'_." He frowned, "It's really hard to listen to. One time I swear she said _'here, she's here'_ and her eyes got all wild." He shuddered and stopped talking.

Sakura felt herself shudder too.

"The mark has spread along her left arm," Keitaro explained, "We started putting the strait-jacket on her about a year ago. She tried to cut her wrists," Sakura's eyes widened and the Keitaro shook his head, "She was having an episode. When we told her during a lucid moment she suggested the jacket herself."

"When was the last time she was coherent?" Sakura asked.

"A couple of months ago," Dai responded dejectedly, "And before then was a couple of months too."

"Maybe she's due for another coherent moment," Keitaro offered in weak optimism.

Sakura pocketed her notepad and pen. It didn't seem like the right time to write anything down – she'd do it later, at a time and place that didn't seem so serious; if she wrote something down, she'd feel inconsiderate of the situation. Sakura returned her observations to Kaya, eyes drawn to a small wooden table that a held a single item: a hitae-ate. It was probably Dai's mysteriously missing headband. It was sweet that he left it with her.

She switched her gaze back to Kaya – her heart skipped. Kaya's eyes were open and she was watching her.

Sakura blinked, heart stuttering once more with the intensity of her gaze. Kaya's eyes were _black_ – a deep dark black that looked _vacant_ and _frightening_. Something seemed to pull at Sakura as she stared at those bottomless irises – as if drawing her in.

Kaya's mouth opened. Her lips moved.

'_They'll have you.'_

"I need some air," Dai sighed, startling Sakura and causing her to snap her head around to face the others. She watched him stand, running a hand with habit through his hair before leaving the room towards the staircase.

"…I'm going to talk to him…" Keitaro said slowly, watching where Dai disappeared with a concerned frown, before following after the Bird shinobi.

Souta stood up too, rolling his shoulders to release the tension, "I think I'll go to the market. Maybe if I make apple pie, Kaya-nee-chan will eat it." He shrugged before disappearing down the hall, Sakura watching him leave with a solemn frown, "Don't enter the room, okay?" He called out just as his soft steps ascended the stairs, "She just had an episode, so she's a little unstable."

Her emerald eyes slid to Sasuke, who also watched Souta's departure, before returning to Kaya's isolated room, heart jolting to see that Kaya was sitting up, still staring straight at Sakura with her empty, dark eyes.

"H-Hey…Sasuke-kun," Sakura called.

Sasuke was by her side within seconds, eyes sweeping over Kaya for any threats, frown pulling at his lips when, even with his movements, her gaze never broke from Sakura.

_Why_ was everyone so interested in Sakura?

He looked at Sakura and was surprised to see her green eyes had glazed over slightly, drawn in by Kaya's unflinching stare. Her body was even leaning forward.

Kaya slowly moved off the bed, swinging her legs with surprising grace before walking right up to the window, her eyes still large and unblinking. It was strange how she moved so easily despite her bound arms, but she stopped right in front of Sakura, tilting her head to the right in a jerky manner, black hair falling around her shoulders.

"…Kaya-san…?" Sakura whispered.

Her mouth began to move but she was whispering, so low that it couldn't be heard through the thick glass and concrete walls. Sakura leaned forward even more to try and read her lips.

"…what's she saying?" Sasuke asked as Sakura's eyes began to narrow with confusion and disbelief.

"…'_coming for you'_…" Sakura answered softly, "…_'you'll be next'_…?"

Kaya nodded slowly – once. And then…_chaos_.

Black eyes widened wildly, Kaya's neck twitched in a strange rotation, and with a scream that was heard even through the thick glass, although muffled, the young woman cranked her head back before slamming it against the window; the dense glass causing her to recoil but a red smear of blood remained. Sakura jumped back with surprise and even Sasuke swore.

"Kami!" Sakura breathed as Kaya moved to repeat the action, "K-Kaya-san! _Stop_!"

_SLAM_!

"_AHHHHHHHHHH_!"

"We have to _do_ something, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shouted, panicked laced with her tone as she ran towards the steel door, scanning green irises for a lock, flinching as another impact of bone against glass echoed in the space.

A key was needed to open the door and, without thinking, Sakura reached into her boot and removed a thin senbon, crouching down as anxious sweat formed on her fingers and temples, jabbing the pick into the lock and maneuvering it to find the tumblers.

_SLAM! SLAM! SLAM!_

"Sakura," Sasuke cautioned lowly and she could _hear_ the various warnings in his tone. The blood was getting thicker against the glass – this girl was _killing herself_. It could be a trap – maybe she was trying to draw them into the room with her. What would happen once she got in?

"I don't care," Sakura muttered as the last tumbler lifted, "I _have_ to help her."

The medic stood and with a grunt she turned the handle and pulled the heavy door open. Kaya was already there, face covered in blood from a deep and long laceration across her forehead. She lunged for Sakura, even in her bound state, but the kunoichi was quick to grab her shoulders, using her chakra-enhanced strength to push her back towards the bed. Sasuke was already readying the buckles attached to the bed frame.

"_AHHH_!" Kaya's head shook violently, hair flying, as she was forced to lie on the mattress and become buckled in and restrained, "_They're coming_…_I see her…She's in…in…in…_" Her voice had dwindled into raspy mutters that were difficult for Sakura to discern but she ignored it in favor of focusing her attention on Kaya's bleeding forehead. She instantly called chakra to her hands, suspending them above the injury and, in the process, transferring bright crimson to her shaking fingertips.

"Kaya-san, please calm down," Sakura tried to soothe, watching the skin knit back together, frowning as agonized moans spilled from Kaya's pale lips.

"…_get…out…please…_" Kaya began to cry, her movements becoming sluggish, "…_please_…"

Sakura furrowed her brows as she scanned Kaya and her condition, grimacing when she noticed the young woman's accelerated heart rate and that her brain's neurons were irregularly charged. It was after several minutes of healing and searching her body's network that Kaya had calmed, dark eyes fluttering to a close.

Once Kaya's wound was healed, Sakura breathed a sigh of relief and stepped away from the young woman's unconscious form. Sasuke also stepped away from the bed, running a hand through his hair before glancing at the viewing window, slowly dribbling with red tendrils of blood.

"If this is an example of one of her episodes…" Sakura whispered as she looked at the sleeping girl sadly, "…it's such a…_severe_ reaction. And to think she's tried to hurt herself numerous times before…"

"…Did you hear what she was saying?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura nodded, "It didn't make too much sense though…" She sighed and looked through the viewing window, noticing that the others had yet to come back, "Hey, I think they should know what just happened – they probably have some kind of routine to deal with it. Will you let them know for me, Sasuke-kun?"

The Uchiha blinked, looking between Sakura's blood-covered hands to the unconscious girl, to her beseeching green eyes, "And leave you here…_alone_?"

"She'll be fine; _I'll_ be fine," The medic assured, "She's strapped down and I have plenty of chakra in case something happens. You'll only be upstairs, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke looked reluctant but he saw the logic in Sakura's reasoning – if Kaya had done this before then the others would know how to handle it, "I'll be a minute."

Sakura nodded and watched as he swiftly left the room. Exhaling soft and quick, the kunoichi looked down at the young woman with sadness – to think that such an innocent girl was this haunted; and for _ten years_; and for Souta to be robbed of the chance to experience a real relationship with his sister. It was tragic.

Kaya shifted, mumbling, but remained asleep. Curiosity caused Sakura to move forward and, with a decisive nod, she started to unbuckle Kaya's strait-jacket – making sure she wasn't unfastening the bed-restraints – and slowly pulled back the canvas cloth, revealing Kaya's pale left arm. Emerald eyes widened as she took in the black marks that decorated her skin, as if heavily bruised but much darker in color. It spread up her arm in ugly splotches and Sakura gently felt along it, green chakra coating her careful hands.

Kaya's body was different than anything Sakura had ever encountered. Her blood moved under her skin in a unique flow that seemed…_heavy_. Fingers probed the bruises, tenderly taking Kaya's hand and examining her bony fingers before twisting it around to view her wrist.

Sakura's heart stopped. Tears came unbidden to her eyes.

Cuts in various lengths and widths decorated Kaya's wrist and up her arm in a myriad of crisscrosses. Looking at it felt painful. She traced the older scars with a frown before healing the more recent ones.

"…They're not as painful as they look…"

Sakura's eyes snapped upward to find Kaya smiling sleepily yet kindly at her. There was a light of awareness, that hadn't been there minutes before, shining in the depths of her stare. Her irises weren't a completely dark _black_ either. They were auburn now, flecks of red dotted in the seemingly bottomless darkness. Her voice was soft too – timid even.

"Kaya-san…"

"…These happen when I'm not aware…" Kaya whispered as she looked at their joined hands and flexed her scarred wrists, "So I don't feel the pain…" She frowned, noticing the blood on Sakura's hands, "…The pain comes _after_…when I see the sorrow in Souta's eyes, and when I see Dai-kun and Keitaro-kun grieving…_You_ look sad too…" Kaya traced the crimson on Sakura's hands, "I apologize if I hurt you."

"You didn't. And it's not your fault," Sakura immediately amended.

Kaya shook her head, smile a little brighter, "…I don't have long…But I want to thank you. The only reason you're here and not hurting me…it must mean Dai-kun brought you to _help_. And I appreciate that. I wish I could tell you something to help more but…" She sighed, "I can't remember much…"

"…It's okay," Sakura assured, though her heart plummeted with yet another dead-end in her investigation.

"Though, what I _can_ say…" Kaya began, removing her hands from Sakura's and placing her arm back in the jacket, silently asking for the medic to buckle her up once more, "I can say that it hurts…in _here_," Her petite hand pressed against her heart, "I see things and hear things other people can't see and hear. It's agony. And I can recall a child…a _little girl_. She's crying for help. But she torments me too," She shook her head, "I don't know what it means…but I hope it can help you."

Sakura blinked, a tear sliding down her cheek as she secured Kaya's jacket around her, already noticing the light in her auburn eyes fading, "I'll do my best, Kaya-san."

Kaya grinned, and even in her pale and blood-stained state, she looked beautiful, expression brightened simply by hope, "Thank you."

And then she closed her eyes and returned to sleep, breaths evening out, body motionless aside from the steady rise and fall of her chest, and Sakura's one and only chance, to get more, vital information from an affected victim, ending after a single crucial minute of lucidity.

"Stay strong, Kaya-san," Sakura whispered, brushing tangled, black hair from the young woman's face, "For Souta and your friends. We haven't given up yet." She closed her eyes and took a breath, "There's still another lead that we can follow."

* * *

Akemi fumed as she crossed her arms tightly over her chest, olive-green eyes narrowed dangerously as she glared with irritation at the three men surrounding the dining room table. Isamu ducked his head in shame, hiding behind a cobalt blue folder as if to protect himself from the kunoichi's accusing stare. Naruto grinned weakly, features laced with apology as he unsurely began to tidy up the pile of papers stacked in front of him. Akio rolled his eyes, unimpressed with his twin's severe glower, challenging her with a raised brow of indifference as he tossed a red folder onto the tabletop in front of him. Then, with a smirk, he raised his feet and rested his boots atop the red folder and its scattered files causing Akemi's eyes to flare and her cheeks to puff with unbridled anger.

"I leave you three for _one minute_. _ONE MINUTE_!" She growled, holding her right forefinger up for extra emphasis, "And I come back to _this_! I keep it color-coded for a _reason_!" She threw her hands up in the air with exasperation before stalking forward to begin cleaning up their mess, "I swear to _Kami_–"

"So, what are we looking for again, Naruto-san," Akio interrupted flippantly, perusing through a purple folder nonchalantly before tossing it beside his raised boots – earning another indignant shriek of annoyance from his twin.

"Why the _hell_ are you making such a mess when you don't even know what you're looking for?" Akemi snarled as she rounded the table and whacked her collected folders against her brother's head before slapping her palm against his boots, the tremendous force she put into it almost made Akio stumble off his chair.

"What the _fu_–"

"_LANGUAGE_!" Akemi screeched, brows furrowed steeply before she stomped off to continue her organizing at the opposite side of the table.

A snort was heard behind the blue folder Isamu was hiding behind and the subsequent shaking of his shoulders and hands told Naruto that the Rain Ninja was probably laughing – and hiding it desperately to avoid Akemi's wrath.

"Uh, sorry Akemi-chan," Naruto replied sincerely as he rubbed the back of his neck, "I guess we kind of got carried away looking for information."

Akemi's shoulders suddenly sagged with exhaustion and she didn't look as angry anymore. Her frown was still in place but her movements weren't as harsh as before. Her brows had even softened into that of contemplation as she straightened a stack of manila folders, separating them neatly from the green ones.

"What exactly are you looking for?" Akemi asked quietly, glancing up at Naruto briefly before returning to her task, "I thought you were looking for profiles. And I told you to check the red, blue, black, or purple folders for those. You three messed _everything_ up," She scowled but it was half-hearted.

"We're looking for something – _someone_ – in particular," Naruto explained as he reached for the closest black folder on the tabletop and began to flip through it, blue eyes quickly skimming through text and pictures, "We're looking for a name – _Amaya_."

Akemi paused in her movements and her brows furrowed with concentration before she looked up at Naruto, "…I've never come across that name before. Who is she?"

"The _Little Girl_," Naruto replied earning a look of surprise from the red-head, "She mentioned it a couple of nights ago. I just remembered it. So we're looking for any files on that name."

"…Well, maybe Daisuke-kun knows…" Akemi stated, "If there's anyone who knows these files like the back of their hand, it's him. Though I have a feeling we don't have any information…" Akemi frowned, slipping a few files into a yellow folder, "The first thing we did was look for any pictures or resemblances of the deceased or missing to the _Little Girl_ or _Shadow_. Unfortunately, we came up empty."

"Maybe they're not from here," Isamu shrugged, "We can't rule out Earth or Rain Countries. They share the Tri-Point Forest too."

"But everything started _here_ in Bird Country," Akio pointed out with a heavy exhale.

Naruto shook his head and ran a hand through his blonde spikes, "Either way, we have a _name_, and having that is definitely a big clue, and a _huge_ step, in solving this problem."

Akio and Akemi nodded simultaneously.

"Agreed," Isamu stated.

The front door opened and everyone's attention switched from the mess on the dining room table towards the direction of the front of the house.

"…want to examine her but even during my brief analysis earlier I can tell that the biology and chemistry of her body is highly irregular," Sakura's soft voice spoke, "With a case as…_delicate_ as hers, where I have never encountered _anything_ similar in scenario, it makes things more difficult, especially when I don't have a team, the medical supplies, or the necessary tools and herbs to make a proper diagnosis or cure. If I do something _wrong,_ something _bad_ can happen and I don't want to risk that."

"…I understand what you're saying," Dai responded just as softly – Akemi, Akio, Isamu, and Naruto couldn't see the foyer but they were desperately trying to discern the muffled conversation, "I just can't believe I missed a lucid moment with her – and now I have to wait another few months, and I'm not even sure she can survive that long…"

"Hey, don't think like that," Sakura reprimanded, "She's strong. Be strong for her too. She didn't speak too long but maybe what she said can help. I'll definitely need to do a little more research and study all the notes that I got today; but we _do_ have some pieces to the puzzle, we just need to find a little bit more and finally connect them all together."

"…You're right," Dai sighed.

"Don't give up now," Sakura consoled, "And showing her, to us, helped. Even just that brief analysis of her condition gave me more to think about and consider. But…no more secrets, okay? We need to trust each other and work together."

"Yeah," The Bird Chuunin agreed strongly, "And I apologize for my deception once again, Sakura-san. Sasuke-san. I also want to thank you for helping her – for saving her from herself."

"I _want_ to help her," And Naruto could _hear_ the reassuring grin in his female teammate's voice, "I want to save her. And we want to help everyone else too. We'll do our best, right Sasuke-kun?"

"…Hn."

"See, Sasuke-kun? You _are_ a hero; told you so," Sakura pointed out, suppressed laughter in her voice.

"Stop being annoying, Sakura."

Dai chuckled softly, "Alright, let's tell everyone our new plan; I've got to get back to Keitaro and Souta at the house."

Sakura, Sasuke, and Dai finally appeared around the corner from the foyer and stopped in their tracks to see four pairs of eyes trained on them. Sakura blinked before smiling in greeting. Sasuke blinked but offered nothing else. And Dai blinked before scratching a hand to the back of his neck.

"So, what's this new plan?" Akio inquired lightly as he leaned back expectantly in his chair; Akemi crossed her arms over her chest and raised a single, questioning brow.

Dai exhaled quick and loud as he closed his eyes. Then, he opened his eyes, took a single step forward, and made eye contact with every single person surrounding the dining room table, expression hard and serious, "We're going back into the Tri-Point. Sakura-san found a tunnel yesterday. We're going to enter the Twisted Valley."

Everyone's eyes widened with surprise; Akio leaned forward with anticipation, "When?"

Dai answered without hesitation, "The day after tomorrow."

* * *

Naruto sat on the large bed of Sakura's temporary Master Bedroom, of Team Kakashi's temporary residence, and ran a towel through his wet hair. Sakura was also seated on the bed, her back leaning against the headboard, knees pulled up and propping up her notebook. Her hair was also damp from her recent shower, water trails running down her neck and bare arms. She paid no mind, however, attention focused entirely on her notes as she tapped her pen absently against her lips.

"Why don't we just enter the Twisted Valley _tomorrow_?" Naruto asked as he heard Sasuke turn off the shower in the next room over, "Why wait?"

"We need to restock our supplies and ofudas. Not to mention we're all exhausted, and a little shaken up, from last night," Sakura answered, raising her green gaze to his, "And _you_. I'm still mad at you – thankful, yes – but also _mad_."

Naruto pouted, shining royal-blue eyes at her in an attempt to melt her angry barriers, "But _Sakura-chan_! I already explained to you, it was the _only_ way – _and I apologized_!"

"_Never_ do that _again_!" Sakura demanded, pointing her pen at him condemningly; though Naruto could see the subtle fear in her eyes – fear _for _him.

Smiling affectionately, Naruto shifted so that he sat beside her, slinging an arm over her shoulders and pulling her against him, her cheek resting against his collarbone, "No promises Sakura-chan. You know I'd do _anything_ for you and the bastard."

"…I know," The kunoichi sighed reluctantly, fisting her hands against his plain, black shirt, "I've already had this conversation with Sasuke-kun. But I don't want to _lose_ you either. _Any_ of you. Let's just…work it out as a team first before resorting to sole-sacrifices…okay?"

_Really _thinking about it – realizing the fact that he was _alive_ and sitting beside Sakura and having Sasuke just a few meters away, all of them surprisingly unharmed after everything that happened the night before – it made him immensely grateful and reassured.

Sighing softly, Naruto grinned as he rubbed her shoulder in soothing sweeps, "Alright, Sakura-chan."

"Good."

The door to the Master Bathroom opened and Sasuke stepped out with a billow of steam following after him. He was running his dark hair through with a blue towel and looked up to gaze at Naruto and Sakura who were sitting beside each other in a close embrace. He blinked, grunted, and sat at the foot of the bed, continuing to dry his hair with swift motions.

"Sasuke-kun was worried too," Sakura shared with a smirk.

"I bet he was," Naruto beamed, tapping his foot against Sasuke's back which earned an annoyed scowl from the Uchiha.

"Shut up."

Sakura and Naruto chuckled teasingly before the medic pulled away from Naruto's loose hold.

"So…the _Little Girl_ has a name," Sakura started thoughtfully, reaching for her notebook and eyeing the extra chronicles she had added after returning to _Base_ with Sasuke and Dai earlier in the day, "…Amaya…?"

"Yeah…" Naruto muttered, "First time in ten years anyone's found out a name. And she told it to the girl who was looking for her kitten. Why let it slip?"

"…Maybe she was trying to draw her prey in with a sense of comfort," Sakura offered.

"Or maybe she's starting to get sloppy," Naruto shrugged.

"Could it be _false_?" Sakura questioned, tilting her head thoughtfully, "Maybe it isn't even her name."

"If it wasn't, then why choose _Amaya_?" Naruto replied.

"Good point. What do you think, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, jotting down several theories into her notepad.

Sasuke paused in his movements. He sat absolutely still for several seconds, back tensed and muscles stiff. Sakura watched him with silent worry until he slowly turned around to regard her with serious, obsidian eyes.

"From what I've seen, she's responsive," Sasuke stated, eyes darkened with deep thought before focusing intently on Sakura's expressive emerald, "She likes to play games with you, Sakura. Her focus is on _you_. Confront her about it. Ask her." He shrugged his shoulders slightly before resuming in drying his hair, "She'll probably answer."

Sakura blinked, "That's…a good idea, Sasuke-kun."

Naruto snorted, "Ha, like the bastard is going to willingly leave you alone with her so you can ask her what and why her name is what it is. Hell, _I_ wouldn't even leave her alone with you." Sasuke's suddenly rigid body proved Naruto's assumptions true. After what happened last time in the Tri-Point, they weren't going to risk Sakura getting dragged off or taken again.

"…But…" Sakura whispered softly, mind whirring rapidly with ideas, "…What if I don't ask the tangible version of the _Little Girl_…?"

Sasuke and Naruto turned to look at her, both blinking with confusion, "…I don't get it Sakura-chan…"

"…She wasn't threatening…She wasn't even corporeal," Sakura muttered as she sat up straighter, eyes widened with new discovery, "When I was in that lake, before Isamu pulled me out, I met…_something_…" She raised her head to meet her teammates' stares, "How about I don't ask my questions to the _Little Girl_? What if I found something else – _asked_ my questions to _something else_ that might be connected to her – to the _Little Girl_ – to _Amaya_?" She shook her head and sighed, "I don't know if I'm chasing imaginary shadows; I didn't hear a name before I lost consciousness – but they _looked the_ _same_. So maybe…what if…" Bright green eagerly met questioning obsidian and confused blue, "What if I found and confronted the _Little Girl_'s _ghost_?"

* * *

**A/N:** Hey All! Another update! Whoopee! Really long chapter! Sorry for all the word vomit! I feel like this chapter was really fast-paced, I hope you followed okay, I really just want to get back to the Horrors of the story too. But how did you readers think about it? Did I shock you guys with any twists? Did I scare you guys just a little? Did your hearts jump with startle? How about the additional characters – Kaya and Keitaro? How'd you feel about them? They're not as big as the other's but they're a _big_ reveal to Dai's past! I'd love to hear from you guys, I really want to know what you guys think! Are you guys excited for what's next? _**The Twisted Valley**_? Heehee, I can't wait until I put our favorite characters in there!

Thanks so much everyone for all the support and feedback! We reached over **600+ Reviews**, you guys are **AMAZING! I LOVE YOU ALL!**

So please, leave me a message, whether review or PM, loved to hear your thoughts! Any questions or concerns, feel free to ask, but I won't give anything away that's important to the storyline! :)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto and Company. Only the Plot and Original Characters.

**Next Chapter:** _Chapter Twenty-Three: Interlude_

**Next Update:** I've been doing so well with updating lately! I'm shooting for one or two weeks!

**So...**I've kind of been wanting a cool image icon to accompany _The Curse_ - you know that image that shows up next to it on my profile or wherever else this story shows up. I don't think my girly icon at the moment really...encompasses the horror of this story, lol. So what should I use? I wish I could draw...blah.

**AND!** Has anyone watched the anime series **Darker Than Black** and **Sword Art Online**. Because those are my current obsessions. **Hei** is such a dark and brooding hottie (and his **Li** personality is so cute!). And **Kirito** is just freaking adorable. Now I'm gonna flail with them in my dreams (with **Sasuke-kun** of course!)

**Thank You to all readers and reviewers! You're the BEST!**

I have a **Tumblr** now, called **SincerelyLen**. It's more of a **personal blog** if you're interested, but I have a few fiction recs and quotes I will put up and reference also. My **Twitter** was a _**fail**_ since there's only so much I can say in a small box. **Blogs** are more my thing. Add me if you'd like?

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**Updates Soon to be POSTED!  
**_**(…hopefully…)**_  
_**Rehabilitation  
Psychotic  
Missing In Action  
Vengeance  
False Façade  
The Road of Touch; The Road To Feeling**_**  
A NEW STORY – **_**Confinement**_**  
AND EVEN MORE TO COME!**

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_**LotzaLove!  
Len83  
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	23. Interlude

**The Curse**

_**Chapter Twenty-Three: Interlude**_

There was a clock that hung just above the doorway of the Master Bedroom leading to the hallway and Sakura silently stared at it, her emerald irises watching the second hand tick in a steady circle. It was an hour before midnight. Her left palm supported her left cheek, elbow resting atop her thigh, and the fingers of her right hand rhythmically tapped her pen against her lips.

Beside her, Naruto had gone silent, royal blue eyes staring at the far wall unseeingly as he continued to process and comprehend her most recent statement – one that had been spoken a full ten minutes before. Sasuke remained at the edge of the bed, dark eyes transfixed on the closet, lips pulled down into a contemplative frown.

The kunoichi sighed audibly, effectively breaking the silence, and she closed her eyes in resignation, "…You both think I'm crazy now, don't you?"

Naruto immediately sat up straighter and focused his full attention on her, "Of course not, Sakura-chan! There's no reason _not_ to believe what you're saying…" He trailed off and Sakura patiently awaited his obvious skepticism, "…but a _ghost_?" He swallowed and shook his head, "The _Little Girl_ has a _ghost_?"

The Medic slowly opened her eyes and offered a short shrug, "Maybe." She lifted her head from her hand and connected her gaze with both men, "If she exists, then I think I've seen her twice – once at the Patrolling Facility, a couple of nights ago, and the second time in the Tri-Point, last night."

"…Could you be seeing things?" Naruto asked hesitantly before quickly pressing his lips together, fearing the wrath of Sakura's anger for doubting her.

The kunoichi only breathed out heavily before idly flipping through a few pages in her pastel-blue notebook, "I don't know. I was half-asleep and a little depressed the first time I saw her. And I was underwater the second time – maybe it was panic. Maybe it was an illusion. But she seemed pretty real to me."

"_Are _ghosts real?" The blonde asked nervously, "Really _real_?"

"Anything seems possible right now," Sakura pointed out logically, "We've seen dead bodies come back to life. Are ghosts so hard to believe too?"

"It only means that we're beginning to believe that whatever is happening is actually a _Curse_," Sasuke pointed out.

"Well, don't you?" Sakura countered softly, "Believe it? After everything we've seen. Maybe it is a chakra-controlled circumstance – maybe _someone_ really is pulling the strings; maybe not; either way, it's still pretty damn gruesome – and _terrifying_."

"Yeah, Sasuke-teme," Naruto agreed, frown tugging his lips as he darted his stare from the half-open bathroom doorway to the darkened hallway that led to his and Sasuke's rooms, "People that are dead are coming back to life!"

"It's not like we haven't seen it before," Sasuke argued blandly, "The Reanimation Jutsu during the War."

"The people reanimated during the War didn't try to _eat_ us!" Naruto refuted with arms waving high in the air, "The _Shadow_ and _Little Girl_ are creepy as _fuck_! When I was in that house last night – seeing both of them _crawling_ towards me…" He shook his head, trying to forget the memory, "It has to be a _Curse_."

"The _Deformed_ too…" Sakura added, looking down at her notebook, lips pursed, "How did _they_ come to be?"

Sasuke shrugged, "They look like experiments."

"You really don't want to admit that this is a _Curse_, huh?" Naruto frowned, staring at Sasuke's back with exasperation, "What else could it be?"

"I told you," Sasuke scowled, throwing a glare over his shoulder, "Someone could be controlling them."

"_Who_ has that kind of power?" The blonde asked incredulously, "And _why_ would they be doing this?"

"It might not just be _one_ person," The Uchiha responded, "And who does anything logical in a world as tainted by blood as ours? There are crazy people out there who will do senseless things just because they want to; just because they _can_."

"…I guess that's true…" Naruto sniffed reluctantly.

"It's a possibility," Sakura agreed, "…We'll need a lot more information to figure this out. Hopefully our venture into the Twisted Valley will reveal _something_ to help with our investigation."

"…We said that about the Tri-Point Forest and came out with only more questions…" Naruto muttered with annoyance, "…Stupid mysteries."

"Maybe we can find out why they're so interested in _you_, Sakura," Sasuke spoke, dark eyes grave, "There's a target on your head. Someone's holding a grudge against you."

"Apparently," The kunoichi whispered as she ran a hand through her damp tresses, "Kami, I wonder what I ever did to them to receive such antagonism…"

"I don't get it either. You're _awesome_, Sakura-chan," Naruto complimented automatically – it was an instinctual habit.

"Thanks," She couldn't stop her face from flushing and a smile lifted on her lips, "…Charmer."

Naruto grinned, though it dimmed; blue eyes darkening with sadness, "…I know we've only been here for less than a week, but I miss Konoha. I miss Hinata-chan."

Sakura reached out to grab Naruto's hand, squeezing it in assurance, "We'll figure this out soon. And we'll be back in Hidden Leaf in no time," She chuckled softly, "I'm sure Hinata-chan is missing you just as much, probably _more_."

Naruto smiled with gratitude and grasped her hand tightly before releasing it, "Thanks, Sakura-chan."

A sudden yawn erupted from Naruto and he stretched his arms upward before shaking his head and blinking sleepily at the amused medic.

"So, how are you going to find this ghost, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.

The pink-haired woman shrugged helplessly, "No idea. Maybe the pond when we go back to the Twisted Valley entrance. Maybe she'll come to me. Either way, I'm keeping my eyes open for her."

The blonde nodded, "Alright." Another yawn escaped him and he stood from the bed, stretching his arms and rolling his shoulders, "I'm going to head to bed now. Night guys."

"Hn."

"Goodnight, Naruto. Sleep well."

With a wave, Naruto left the room, closing the door halfway before disappearing in the darkness of the hallway. Seconds later, the quiet _click_ of his own bedroom door sounded.

Sakura licked her lips as she read several bullet points in her notebook, brows furrowing before she flipped through several pages, circled a particular point, and added _'refer to page 23'_ in the margin. By habit she bit the end of her pen as emerald eyes swept through her hasty penmanship, nose twisting with thought before she underlined the word '_origin'_ three times. Sighing, she skipped ahead to the middle of her notebook where her most recent notes were – particularly the latest mission they had entering the Tri-Point Forest the night before as well as the discovery of Yoshida Kaya.

"You know, analyzing Kaya-san…" Sakura began as she read through several quotes from both her own experiences and the incidents endured by the others, "Kaya-san sounded just like Satsuma Yoshiro – the man from the Rain Border Village." She shook her head, "I can't believe it's only been five days since he died…" She flipped back to the beginning pages to find her notes from that particular point of time, "Yoshiro-san had been _touched_ too, by the _Shadow_; he was showing the same symptoms: wide-eyed, escalated heart-rate, perhaps self-inflicted wounds, muttering – even the _words_ he said were similar to Kaya-san's. And he was affected by the _Creature_'s touch for only a couple of days, maybe weeks – Kaya-san has been fighting this for _years_. Her resilience is amazing – or it could mean that the _Creature_ has gotten a lot stronger since the time she touched Kaya-san ten years ago." She sighed, "I really wish I had the medical equipment and supplies to gain a deeper understanding of her condition."

Sakura looked up. Sasuke was sitting silently, listening, and his head was half-turned towards her, obsidian irises still trained on the closet-side wall of the room. She lowered her pen from her lips and tilted her head to better observe him, tracing his smoothed features with curiosity. Realizing her silence, Sasuke blinked and shifted his eyes to look at her, turning his head completely when he noticed her blatant staring. Slowly, he raised a questioning brow.

Smiling faintly, Sakura slid her pen into the spiral of her notebook and subsequently pat the empty space on her right. His eyes moved from her to her hand and back before he hesitantly stood up and walked around the bed to reach the indicated spot. His dark hair covered his eyes as she watched him move closer; his mouth was a straight line, but he smoothly slid into the space beside her, leaning his back comfortably against the headboard, legs stretched out in front of him, hands in his pajama pockets, and left shoulder lightly bumping against her right.

"…Penny for your thoughts, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked as she brought her attention back to her notebook, skimming through her slightly legible writing.

The Uchiha was silent for a few moments before a sigh escaped his lips, head shaking as he closed his eyes, "…I don't like this."

"No one does, Sasuke-kun," Sakura pointed out sadly.

"Do you have any enemies that Naruto and I aren't aware of?" Sasuke asked suddenly, twisting his head to stare at her fully, eyes narrowed with suppressed anger – though, when Sakura stared back she was relieved that his anger wasn't directed _towards_ her, "Is there anyone out there that wants you _dead_, for any reason at all?"

"…Not that I can recall," Sakura answered slowly, rifling through her mental index.

"Are you _sure_?" Sasuke pressed, brows furrowing, "_Think_, Sakura."

The kunoichi frowned at his mounting irritation, "I _am_ thinking, Sasuke-kun. I'm sure. Sasori is dead and he's really the only one I can think of that would want revenge on me."

"Maybe he's pulling the strings," Sasuke murmured, fully aware that the deceased Akatsuki member was a puppeteer, "Maybe he's controlling the dead."

"For _ten years_?" Sakura pointed out, "The time frames are conflicted. He was with Akatsuki _and_ he's from Wind Country – not to mention _dead_."

"Then someone else," Sasuke moved on gruffly, frown tugging lower on his lips, "_Anyone_ else? During the war? During the time I was defected? Even recently? Why are they interested in you? Why do they want your blood and body? Why do they want _you_?"

He turned to look at her and Sakura blinked at the severity in his gaze. His eyes spoke more than his pressing questions – he was concerned; he was worried _for_ _her_. She reached for his pocketed left hand and pulled it into her firm grasp, holding it to her stomach as she stared straight into his eyes.

"I don't know why they want me…" Sakura whispered, "And it's scary that they do. But whoever they are, they _won't_ have me. I have you and Naruto to protect me," She sighed, "Maybe they're fixated on me because of something I did or because I offended someone. I've _done_ a lot of things as a ninja and – not to brag, but – I'm _known_ by a lot of people. Whatever the reasons, we'll figure it out." She frowned, "…I don't know what else there is to say. There are just too many possibilities and variables."

Sakura leaned her head against his shoulder, stare returning to the notebook on her lap, fingers idly running across Sasuke's knuckles, his left hand still in her gentle grasp.

Just as she was tracing his palm, her eyes trailing over Naruto's written endeavor to stay behind in the Tri-Point, Sasuke's hand curled tightly around hers. His words were soft, "…I won't lose you to them."

The kunoichi smiled as she tightened her hands around his, "No, you won't."

* * *

Dark eyes blinked up at the partially obscured moon. It was late; perhaps an hour before midnight judging by the pale-white orb's position in the star-studded skies. A fierce gust of wind blew through dark, sweat-drenched strands of hair, and black eyes blinked again before fingerless-gloves gripped the billowing cloak tighter around his body. Continuous travel left his legs aching with tire and his chakra reserves were depleted from constant use to increase his speed.

He had no complaints. And his comrades didn't object to their incessant haste either – instead they insisted their swiftness of travel with determined, silent agreement.

"…Almost there…"

Dark eyes slid to the soft, timid voice of his current female comrade. She ran a few paces ahead of him, the luminescence of the moon shining down on her blue-black hair, the long tresses blowing back and away from her face, revealing pale, lavender irises that coursed with chakra – enhancing her sight exponentially.

"It's late. Once we reach the Village we'll head to an Inn. Then we'll see the Tsuchikage at first light."

Dark eyes shifted further ahead, gazing with thought at the taller figure who led their team. His unruly, silver hair whipped around his head wildly, his shoulders were tensed, and his lone, uncovered eye was undoubtedly trained ahead, in the direction of Iwagakure no Sato.

He blinked again, mouth opening, desiring to object to the initial plan. Emotions – these _feelings_ that were becoming more natural to him – urged him to speak up and protest. However, his mouth closed as fatigue shot up his legs – he frowned, disliking the conflict of his mind and body.

"Sai-san…?" He looked up and his sights connected with his companion's concerned features, thin brows furrowed as she slowed her pace to run alongside him, "Is something the matter?"

Sai blinked before shifting his gaze downwards to view the rocky terrain below him as they ran, "Hinata-sama…I…I am feeling…troubled?" His tone sounded uncertain and he looked up to see the Hyuuga Heiress smiling gently at him, "…I do not wish to wait until first light to find them…"

Hinata's smile instantly became sympathetic, "…I don't want to wait either. I'm worried for them too. But we should rest. It's been a long couple of days…"

"…This feeling…This emotion…" Sai started softly, brows pinched with self-observation, "This _worry_ – as you put it – it's similar to the final battle during the Ninja War. I feel…_fear_ for them. I am usually not away from Ugly and Dickless for so long…And from the reports we read, I am not fond of these emotions, knowing what they are facing…" He frowned, "I feel _fear_ because of their fear…"

Hinata smiled, placing a brief hand on his shoulder, "It's because you want to protect them, Sai-san. I'm afraid too. I'm afraid of what they've encountered and of confronting it myself. I just want to find them soon; and we _will_."

Sai nodded, "…I see."

"You miss them," Hinata stated with a sweet smile, "It's a normal emotion for you to feel, Sai-san, especially in this situation."

Again, Sai nodded. Sai was rarely away from Team Kakashi. When he left ANBU Root under Danzo and after the enduring events of the Fourth Ninja World War, Sai had steadily become a permanent member of Team Kakashi alongside Sakura and Naruto and, later, Sasuke. Becoming a part of their team since first meeting his new comrades and friends had been almost five years ago. Naruto and Sakura were now his family. And since his return to the Hidden Leaf two years prior, Sasuke and Sai were developing a dynamic relationship that he didn't want to see end either.

"…Something's going on…Hinata-sama, can you see it?" Hatake Kakashi had slowed his pace. The distant high walls of Iwagakure more visible than before and dots of light decorated the darkened terrain, heading in a scattered, disordered line towards the mountains of the south. "Firelight…Torches…" The Copy-Cat Ninja observed; his gaze shifted, "…And they're headed towards Bird Country."

"Yes," Hinata confirmed with a frown, her Byakuugan activated, "They look angry…and heavily armed. It doesn't look like an organized mission…"

"That doesn't sound good," Kakashi grunted, increasing his stride once more.

The closer the squad progressed towards the towering walls of Iwagakure no Sato, the more the tension in Sai's shoulders began to coil with continued unease. Even with the dotted torchlights heading southwest, away from their squad's southern entrance, the distant shouts of furious anger and urgency echoed across the rocky plains. Their words were difficult to comprehend but the _emotion_ – there was an underlying panic that shot through the land and struck through the hearts of the Leaf Ninja as they sustained their hastened their pace towards Iwa.

"Kakashi-sempai!" Hinata called above the wind currents roaring against their ears, "There is a small group gathering just inside the Village Gates! They look prepared to leave also! And they look upset!"

Kakashi nodded once in acknowledgement before quickening his pace, his single eye narrowing, trying to see through the darkness of nightfall as they steadily moved closer to the Hidden Village known for its stone towers and marbled catacombs.

Just as Sai, Hinata, and Kakashi were merely yards away from the massive gates of Iwagakure no Sato, the Copy-Cat Ninja held his right hand up in a signal to slow down. Within several seconds the group of three had come to halt, staring up at the steel gates with both relief and a grim determination. Sai blinked as he regulated his breathing, looking over his shoulder briefly to find that the distant torchlights were much farther than before, close to disappearing behind the horizon of the Southern Mountains.

"They're coming…" Hinata commented softly and the subsequent _whine_ of the gates opening caused the three Ninja to step back, waiting anxiously as a group of shinobi purposefully walked through – presumably the gathered ninja Hinata had detected with her Byakuugan just minutes prior.

Sai noticed that it was a small squadron of shinobi made up of seven people. They wore dark clothing and carried an air of power that Sai recognized in ANBU Root members. This group was most likely an equivalent to Konohagakure no Sato's elite forces. Under the light of the three-quarter moon, the squad stepped out of the shadows of the high walls prompting Kakashi to step forward in an act to intercept them.

The leader of the group was already staring at them as she and her comrades exited the village. Her hand calmly moved to her ear and her mouth shifted and Sai was sure that the slender woman was speaking through a radio communications device.

"She looks familiar," Hinata whispered thoughtfully, brows furrowed, clearly trying to remember.

The woman allowed her hand to fall limp and her steadfast walk veered to join with Sai and his team. Her dark, ebony hair was cropped short, slightly covering her placid, pink irises.

"Hatake-san," She greeted nonchalantly, eyes briefly sweeping over Hinata and Sai before tilting her head in acknowledgement, "Tsuchikage-sama has been expecting you."

"Kurotsuchi-san," Kakashi responded with an inclination of his own head, "It's been a while."

"Ah," She nodded, eyes leaving him to scan the horizon, "Not since the War," She frowned as she noticed the distant torchlights fading out of sight, "And it seems we're working together once more."

"Yes," Kakashi confirmed, "_The Curse_," He followed her gaze before regarding her warily, "That group that just left your Village – does that have anything to do with it?"

Kurotsuchi sighed, closing her eyes in impatience, "Unfortunately, yes. We've been given the task to fetch them." Her hand lifted to touch her ear and she blinked twice before pressing into the device attached to her collar, "Yes, Tsuchikage-sama…Are you sure?" Her pink gaze shifted to Kakashi before a single brow rose in inquiry, "…Alright. I will, Tsuchikage-sama."

Again, her hand returned to her side and she regarded the Leaf Shinobi silently before pointing a finger at her ear, "Tsuchikage-sama has asked that you three accompany us to Ishione Village. He believes we may need more bodies to deal with this assignment," She scowled lightly before waving a hand at the Gates behind her, "Unless you are exhausted from your travels and need to rest."

Sai and Hinata shared a glance. Kakashi remained silent in contemplation. Rest would be beneficial to them but the mounting curiosity for this new development made them want to accompany the dark-haired kunoichi and her comrades.

"Time is of the essence," Kurotsuchi stated with boredom, beginning to walk by them, "And if you won't be able to keep up, then I suggest you stay behind."

"We'll go," Sai's lips pressed together once the words left his lips but he stared steadfastly at Kakashi when his lone eye connected with his blank expression; he opened his mouth, "…I am curious to see, especially if it concerns Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke."

Kakashi regarded him for several more seconds before nodding his head, "Alright, we'll go. We'll use this opportunity for some reconnaissance. Hinata-sama, are you up for it?"

The Hyuuga Heiress immediately nodded her head, "Yes!"

Kurotsuchi waved a hand in a gesture to follow, "Alright, we've lost enough time already." She shook her head, her sprint increasing another fraction, listening to the resounding footsteps behind her to make sure everyone was present, "Those stupid idiots, going against the Tsuchikage like they did. If my grandfather were still alive he definitely would not have tolerated this kind of disorganized action."

"Onoki-sama wasn't aware of _The Curse_ plaguing your borders, correct?" Kakashi questioned, increasing his pace to run alongside her.

The kunoichi shook her head once more, "No. He passed before it reached our borders. Our current Tsuchikage was unfortunate enough to be burdened with this problem. At first it was a couple of rumors at the end of the Fourth Ninja War – it wasn't until a few months ago that disappearances along our Borders started occurring. At first it was only patrols that were vanishing and we initially thought they were due to rogue ninja in the area. However, after Uzumaki-san and the Uchiha showed up a couple of days ago and reports were sent that it was a _Curse_ of supernatural circumstance, more drastic measures were taken," She frowned, blinking ahead unseeingly with thought, "It was two days ago that there was a large number of civilian and shinobi patrol disappearances in Ishione Village – it's in the mountains on the borders of the Tri-Point Forest – and Tsuchikage-sama immediately had it evacuated."

"So the shinobi we're going after…?" Kakashi queried.

Kurotsuchi's eyes narrowed, "Many of them had family or friends who disappeared in that Village; and the pain of losing those loved ones has sent a group of angry shinobi into action. They're impatient to see results of this problem being solved – so they're acting with vengeful irrationality." She rummaged through her back pocket and threw a scroll towards Kakashi, which he effortlessly caught, "Thanks to reports sent by the Uchiha through Hawk Communication we know one thing is certain when confronting this problem head-on without strategy – let alone, knowledge – of the situation: They're heading to their _deaths_."

Kakashi unrolled the scroll, lone eye skimming the familiar writing of his former student, instantly retaining the information presented to him for future use.

"Tsuchikage-sama evacuated Ishione Village for a reason," Kurotsuchi stated gravely, "And if we don't stop them, they'll find out first-hand _why_."

* * *

Ishione Village was settled in the Southern Mountains of Earth Country. The trail leading through the mountains to the village was dangerous with its steep valleys and the constant threat of rockslides. The high precipices covered the comforting glow of the moon and the cliff faces created a violent wind tunnel that caused their cloaks to billow furiously around them. Their stride had slowed considerably since entering the winding pass and the slightest noises caused an eerie echo to bounce off the rocky walls. Even their breathing was heavy with disquiet.

"How much farther?" Sai questioned softly – he didn't want to sound impatient but the continued walking and the fact that the torchlights, from before, still weren't visible to their sights was disconcerting.

"Not much," Kurotsuchi whispered and Sai's dark eyes subtly slid towards Hinata who nodded her agreement, Byakuugan activated and a frown on her lips.

"…What did they hope to accomplish by coming here?" Kakashi asked, "Knowing what they know – or rather, lacking the knowledge to handle this problem – why did they leave Iwagakure no Sato without the Tsuchikage's approval?"

"They're stupid," The kunoichi scowled bitterly, though her pink irises were filled with an underlying unease and worry. She sighed in resignation, "…But they're also shinobi," Her answer was soft; reflective, "We don't believe in fear or we don't let it conquer us. The shinobi that left to fight – they don't believe a _Curse_ haunts our borders – they only believe in _fighting_ it. So they left to do just that."

"It's just around the bend, Kurotsuchi-sama," One of her male comrades stated quietly, grey eyes scanning their surroundings with heightened awareness.

"Alright, Kenta and Satoshi – scout ahead," The self-assured, young woman commanded calmly, "Ryota and Michi flank right, eyes on the skies. Jiro and Arata, I want you two to watch our blind spots, rear guard especially."

"Yes, Kurotsuchi-sama," came the unified reply and their company dispersed like shadows along the mountain path.

"I-It's quiet…" Hinata whispered as their smaller group slowly treaded around the bend of the trail, "And it's becoming difficult to see. There's very thick mist present."

"Any signs of the ninja, Hinata-sama?" Sai asked.

Hinata frowned before shaking her head slightly, blue-black hair shifting around her shoulders, "N-No."

"Alright, eyes sharp then," Kakashi stated.

The last, towering cliff side ended after several more yards and opened up to a view that would have been breathtaking if it had been under completely different circumstances. Kurotsuchi led the team and after several moments she held out her right arm in a signal to stop. Her pink eyes critically scanned the landscape view with a hardened frown, blinking down at the quiet scene with obvious wariness.

As a painter, Sai rather enjoyed the sight of a beautiful, serene view – especially landscape sceneries. Ishione Village would have probably been an enjoyable sight to behold with his artistic eyes had the sun been shining, bathing the civilian town with warm light, settled in the valley between two high precipices of the Southern Mountains and sitting on a cliff that viewed the Tri-Point Forest of Earth, Rain, and Bird Countries' Borders.

Instead, Sai was looking upon a town covered by the shadows of darkness. The moon's light was shining in faint patches across the area, barely breaking through the heavy mists that made tracking any kind of movement near-impossible. Only the darkened silhouettes of the Village's building structures could _barely_ be seen through the fog; and the sight of the Tri-Point Forest, on the other side of Ishione Village, opposite from where they currently stood, was nonexistent.

"Mist is a bad sign," Kurotsuchi muttered darkly, lowering her arm and flicking her wrist in a gesture to follow her across the downward slope of the trail, "Damn it, we might be too late."

Sai frowned as he removed his tantō from his belt, dark eyes swiftly shifting through the mists, narrowing them in an effort to see beyond the dense fog. Hinata shivered but stuck close to his side, blinking her chakra-enhanced eyes rapidly, clearly searching for any signs of life.

"Anything?" Kurotsuchi asked, removing a katana from the scabbard attached to her belt and simultaneously speaking into a communications device attached to her collar.

Sai couldn't hear the response hidden behind low static but a movement of shadow in his left minor vision caused his steps to falter. He turned his body to better view the area and only gazed upon the empty street with growing suspicion.

"A-Ahead…" Hinata whispered softly, voice shaky as she pointed her right index finger in the indicated direction, "The mist is too thick…But I see shadows ahead."

"Stay alert," Kakashi warned, a kunai readily gripped tightly in his right hand. Both Hinata and Sai nodded with agreement, steps sliding closer to Kurotsuchi and Kakashi to avoid losing them in the fog.

They continued walking the abandoned streets, their light footsteps echoing loudly in the discomforting silence. Sai frowned as his eyes swept the numerous houses, darkened with lacking inhabitants. Ishione Village had only been evacuated for a day but the atmosphere of the town felt surreal – as if Sai was trapped in a never-ending Genjutsu of uncertainty.

_CRASH_!

Everyone froze. It had sounded like breaking glass. With the Village empty the sound was thunderous and caused Hinata to jump and _squeak_ with surprise, edging closer to Sai as her eyes darted around fearfully. The sound seemed to prolong as it bounced off the cliffs of the surrounding mountains and it caused the Hyuuga to cringe uncomfortably. Sai glanced at her, blinking unaffectedly, before laying a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to placate her, just as she had done to him earlier.

"…W-What was that?" Hinata whispered.

"It sounds like it came from the east side of the Village," Kakashi responded just as quietly.

"…Let's go," The Stone Village kunoichi stated determinedly, the blade of her katana glinting under the faint moonlight.

Their pace had quickened, cutting through the mist with a fraction of urgency. Occasionally Kurotsuchi would speak softly into her communications device for updates from her Stone ninja companions. The wind's howling was also becoming more prominent the further into the Village they moved and Hinata held her breath as she kept within _feet_ of her comrades, eyes wide so she wouldn't miss a single detail that would alert her to any danger. Sai's breaths were even as he took steady steps behind Kakashi and Kurotsuchi, disliking the darkness and mists that inconveniently hindered his sights.

"Over there," Hinata stated, her voice weakened by horror. Sai shifted his analytical gaze towards her and watched as her eyes widened with fear, "…They're…"

She couldn't finish her sentence and Sai switched his stare forward, keenly making out dark, shadowed silhouettes littering the ground in uneven lumps. Their steps slowed with wariness and Hinata took another step closer to his right side.

Sai's frown deepened and that _feeling_ he didn't like, and had been experiencing the past few days, shot through his chest and caused the grip on his tantō to tighten, "They're _bodies_."

Bodies; they were scattered across the street accompanied by the gruesome trails of darkened blood – _fresh_ blood. Kakashi cautiously moved forward, expression hardened gravely as he knelt beside the first crumpled figure on the street, reaching out a hand to check for a pulse. Kurotsuchi whispered orders into her radio, pink eyes darting around quickly with unease.

"…Wh-Who could do this?" Hinata whispered incredulously, pale eyes taking in the gruesome scene with a multitude of emotions – sadness, disbelief, and terror.

Sai didn't answer, examining the scene with blank eyes. As a shinobi that had been involved with a faction like ANBU Root, a spectacle filled with dead, bloody bodies wasn't new to him. He observed the scattered limbs of Hidden Stone ninja, accompanied with large puddles of blood, without faze. There were two shinobi ripped apart at his left. One kunoichi was bleeding at the neck; her hazel eyes opened and dimmed of life. Another ninja was lying on his side, missing an arm and a leg. And one unfortunate male was half-hanging out a broken window, impaled by a shard of glass.

Sai observed the shinobi through the broken window and stepped towards him, immediately deducing that he had been the source of the _crash_ that had sounded just moments before.

"Dead," Kakashi informed sadly as he stood up, "All of them. And their wounds weren't caused by weapons."

"…Then what killed them?" Kurotsuchi asked, stunned, just as Hinata knelt next to the corpse to inspect him herself.

"…There are bite marks on his body…_Vicious _bite marks…" The Hyuuga Heiress specified with trepidation.

"…Who the _hell_ is capable of this?" Kurotsuchi whispered incredulously as her gaze scanned the horrific scene.

"There could still be survivors," Kakashi pointed out.

Kurotsuchi blinked, features smoothed of her earlier emotion, regarding the sight with serious contemplation, "…According to Uchiha-san's report, these _creatures_ are dangerous. I've never encountered them; I've never fought them; I don't know how to handle them. As much as I hate to say this…We should leave. And as much as I don't want to leave, I also can't put the lives of my team at risk."

One glance at Kakashi and Sai knew that the Jounin didn't want to leave if there was any chance someone could be saved. But logic was also swimming in his lone, black eye. There was only so much they could do with the limited information they had. And from the reports Sakura had sent them – these unnatural _creatures_ weren't to be taken lightly.

"…Alright," Kakashi sighed, "We'll move out–"

"_AHHHHHHH_!"

Sai blinked as he listened to the agonizing scream _tear_ across the mountainside, bouncing off high walls and empty streets. A slight chill climbed up his spine and he watched Hinata shiver as she looked around wildly for the source of the eerie wail. Kakashi's eye had narrowed, body crouching down in preparation. Kurotsuchi instantly looked stricken, her lithe build coiled with unease before she flinched, right hand immediately flying up to her ear where her earpiece was, filling with loud static.

"Kento! Is that you? Report!" Kurotsuchi's voice was laced with urgency. Sai watched the dark-haired kunoichi frown deeply and he only assumed that an answer through her radio had not been given.

"_NOOOOO_! _HEEEEELP_! _AAAAAAHHHHH_!"

The screams were getting closer and Sai was quickly by Hinata's trembling side, observing her paler features, signs he remembered as _panic_ beginning to take form on her delicate face. He grabbed her arm and began to lead her in the direction they arrived in, dark eyes locking with Kakashi's.

"We should go."

"We can't leave my men behind!" Kurotsuchi argued, though her face, too, was pale, pink eyes flitting around with anxiety as the noises echoed disturbingly along the empty streets.

"_STOP_! _GET AWAY_!"

'_Ha…Ha…Ha…Ha…Ha…'_

The yelling was getting louder and Sai could distinguish that there were _several_ voices screaming with pain and terror. And that laughter; that strange-sounding, _broken _laughter; it was so similar to children's laughter but so…_dead_ of emotion. Kurotsuchi's elite company had encountered something – something that caused a reaction that Sai found difficult to comprehend. Screaming _with _laughter? What a strange mixture…

And the _emotion _of those screams. What could make someone scream those noises? What was causing such an intense reaction of increased volume laced with their urgent words?

"_KUROTSUCHI-SAMA_! _RUN_!"

"Damn it!" Kurotsuchi cursed, clearly looking torn; her slender hand was fisted tightly around her katana's hilt, pink irises glaring at the floor with indecision.

"Sai-san. K-Kakashi-sempai," Hinata whimpered, Byakuugan activated once again, tears gathering at the corners of her lavender eyes, "…They're being…they're being _torn_ apart. Kami…they're…_eating _them alive…" She wobbled on her feet, closing her eyes and shaking her head to rid the images from her mind, protruding veins smoothing out along her temples as she deactivated her bloodline limit.

"_Eating_ them…?" Kurotsuchi whispered with disbelief, Kakashi's one eye also widened with alarm, "_Who_?"

"…We should go. It's irrational to remain here," Sai stated calmly, pulling Hinata along, eyes moving cautiously along their obscured surroundings, "We can't help Ugly if we're dead."

"…Sai's right," Kakashi agreed reluctantly, picking up his pace to follow, also wary of the ominous shadows around them, "We can't compromise you either, Kurotsuchi-sama, as the granddaughter of the late Third Tsuchikage. We should go back to Iwa and discuss anything else Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke may have discovered. This is far bigger than being able to make any kind of difference tonight."

'_You know Haruno Sakura, stranger_?_'_

Everyone's steps halted as the light, melodious voice echoed in the streets – the feminine tone was even _soothing_ to their ears – but Sai, Hinata, and Kakashi tensed, vividly recalling the reports Sakura had sent – reports that they had read on their way to Iwagakure. Kakashi was already moving closer towards Sai and Hinata, his left arm gripping Kurotsuchi's left in an act of keeping her in his sights against the dense mists.

"She's here…" Hinata whispered; her pale eyes searched desperately through the mists, left hand tightening around the back of Sai's shirt, "…There's a massive amount of unfamiliar chakra heading towards us coming from the south."

"Then they're coming from the Tri-Point," Kurotsuchi commented darkly, holding up her katana in defensive preparation.

"We have to escape from this mist," Kakashi responded as he took backward steps cautiously towards the north, guiding his comrades along, "Sakura's report mentioned these _creatures_ only going as far as the mist."

"Damn it, Tsuchikage-sama is definitely not going to be happy about this," The Stone kunoichi muttered.

'_You know Haruno Sakura, stranger?'_ The soft voice implored once more, tone laced with a fraction of impatience.

"They're getting closer," Hinata informed, the grip on her kunai causing her knuckles to stain white.

Sai frowned as he tried to see beyond the mist. The occasional shadow that flew by caused his muscles to strain with tension, _waiting_ for the moment they attacked so he could defend himself and his comrades accordingly. He could feel Hinata's hand clenched tightly around his shirt, though her eyes were transfixed to the south. Kakashi was slowly lifting his hitae-ate up to reveal his Sharingan, the crimson-black iris spinning rapidly in preparation. Kurotsuchi was cursing under her breath, both hands wrapped around the hilt of her katana as she matched step for step their continued pace back to safety.

'_Do you want to play a game?'_

"Fucking psycho," Kurotsuchi growled, clearly not amused.

A babble of noises had erupted from the south – Hinata gasped, Kurotsuchi cursed, and Sai was filled with the strongest temptation to look over his shoulder to see what had appeared. Unfortunately, their group of four was moving as a unit, each facing a different direction to prevent blind spots, leaving their backs pressed together. Sai didn't dare take his eyes off the north, fully aware something – _anything_ – could appear to block their path.

"These must be the _Corpses_, Sakura-chan mentioned in her reports," Hinata explained for Sai's benefit, "Villagers and shinobi brought back to life…and they're walking towards us."

"How much farther, Sai?" Kakashi questioned, voice strained as he watched a the mob of _Corpses_ jerkily walk towards them; one of them he recognized as the ninja in the broken window, a shard of glass protruding from his chest with thick rivulets of blood dripping off its sharpened tip.

"…Kami…Satoshi…" Kurotsuchi whispered brokenly, pink eyes directed at a shinobi who was limping towards them. His neck was drenched in scarlet, twisted in an unnatural ninety-degree angle. His right arm was missing and one of his legs was twisted until it was backwards.

"We've just reached the incline to the mountain pass," Sai stated, noticing the beginning slope at his feet.

'_We've been very hungry…'_ The child-like voice stated softly, _'We almost had Sakura-chan yesterday but the stupid Uchiha and Demon got in the way…You'll have to do for tonight…'_

"Monsters," Kurotsuchi sneered angrily.

'_Your comrades were quite appetizing…'_ She continued lightly, _'I personally liked Jiro-san. Very meaty. I wonder what you four will taste like…'_ Her thoughtful statement was followed by an amused chuckle.

Sai's eyes remained transfixed on the slope and the path ahead, steadily leading his comrades up the incline. The sound of the _Corpses_ were getting louder but he wouldn't risk charging up ahead only to run into something more dangerous.

"Why aren't we _fighting _these things?" Kurotsuchi growled.

"We can't risk touching them," Kakashi responded with warning, "And if we attack it could cause them to charge at us without restraint. Take it slowly. We can't be irrational. We need to be smart about this." His jaw clenched, "They're weak against fire but it's also a limited amount of use since they can adapt. If needed I'll either have to create a wall of fire for protection or you, Kurotsuchi-sama, may have to create a wall of earth to prevent them from following."

"Why not _now_?" The Stone kunoichi asked; her breath hitched as she recognized another comrade in the mob of undead.

"We can't block a potential escape or retreat route either," Kakashi answered, "If we create any wall now it could potentially block us into a trap."

Sai frowned when a pebble emerged from the fog and rolled down the slope before stopping at his foot. A small insignificant pebble, something that was already difficult to see through the mist, but its sudden emergence caused him to stop abruptly. Hinata bumped into him from the momentum and Kakashi's shoulders tensed with awareness.

"What's wrong, Sai?" The Copy-Cat Ninja asked lowly, eyes never leaving the slowly approaching _Corpses_.

"…Something is up there," Sai answered calmly, eyes narrowing; he stepped forward but used his left hand to keep Hinata from following, "I think it is best that I go ahead alone. Hinata-sama, close the circle please."

"Sai," Kakashi called out seriously, "It isn't wise to go alone–"

"It is the only exit," Sai interrupted, feeling Hinata's eyes on his back as he took another step forward, "I will draw its attention to clear a path."

"Sai-san–" Hinata began to protest but he was already moving forward, ignoring all other complaints and warnings.

"I am not afraid," Sai stated calmly and Hinata watched as he disappeared behind the curtain of fog.

Hinata, Kakashi, and Kurotsuchi stood in a clustered group, backs facing each other. Kakashi frowned beneath his mask as he calculated the scenario quickly in his mind. Judging from the distance and speed the _Corpses_ were moving towards him and his comrades, Sai had two minutes to clear a path or drastic measure would have to be taken. Kurotsuchi was restless, shifting from one foot to the other as she glared at their incoming enemies, fingers curling and uncurling around her weapon. Hinata kept her eyes on the spot Sai disappeared to. Her Byakuugan could keep track of the adversaries behind her but if Sai failed, whatever it was ahead would be heading straight for her.

'_Kami…'_

* * *

Sai's steps were firm as he steadily ascended the slope of the mountain pass' entrance. His right hand remained firmly gripped around his tantō while his left was suspended, ready to grab his ink and paintbrushes if needed. After reading the reports, _Corpses_ weren't the real threats so long as openings for ambush weren't allowed. _Deformed_ were not given much detail in Sakura's reports but they were presumably stronger than _Corpses_ which made Sai wary. However, _Deformed_ could also be handled in _some_ way – it was the _creatures_ that couldn't be _touched_ that concerned Sai. The consequences of being touched were still unknown to them and the only ones with that specific warning were the _Shadow_ and _Little Girl_. Those were the opponents he was the most wary of facing, especially after reading Sakura's descriptions of them in her reports.

Although he was not afraid he also trusted Sakura's instincts and didn't doubt any information she shared. So while Kakashi was more valuable with his Ninjutsu to stave off the _Corpses_ and Hinata-sama and Kurotsuchi-san were more geared towards close combat with their respective _Juuken_ and katana-wielding techniques, it left Sai the only viable option to face the _Shadow _and _Little Girl_.

'_So you want to play then, stranger?'_

Sai stopped walking, eyes narrowing against the thickening mists before discerning a small silhouette emerging in front of him. It took several moments until a small girl became clearer to his viewing and Sai blinked. He recalled that children were mostly innocent creatures and he was aware of the times Sakura fawned over students studying at the Ninja Academy or being treated by her in the Konoha Hospital. _This_ child however, although innocent-looking with her smile, was splashed with blood along her front, her face lacerated and burned by what Sai remembered as _electricity_-based injuries considering his experiences with Sasuke.

Sai tilted his head thoughtfully, watching as the girl clasped her hands at her back and rocked on her heels, grin widening even more, "You…" He frowned, "Your smile is fake."

The _Little Girl_ blinked and her expression changed into something Sai would compare to a hungry animal – _ferocious_, _'I have a beautiful smile.'_

Sai blinked but his frown remained, "You are an unnatural creature. What is your purpose?"

The _Little Girl_ frowned as well, _'I would not be unnatural if Haruno Sakura came willingly. We need her body, her chakra, her life! My purpose is to live! If we have her then we are promised life!'_

"What a strange and impossible promise," Sai stated and in his monotone voice it sounded fairly condescending, "Who would make such a foolish offer?"

'_It isn't your business, stranger!'_ The child shrieked indignantly, her severe expression causing the cuts on her face to bleed anew, _'We will have her! We will take her! And her friends will die!'_

Sai's brows furrowed steeply and he raised his tantō threateningly, "You will not harm them. She is not yours to take. I will not allow you to kill them."

The _Little Girl_ suddenly grinned ferally, _'How can you accomplish that if you're DEAD?'_

Her dark eyes shifted to something over his shoulder and Sai turned his head just to see a shadowed figure standing just a foot behind him. Her tousled, ebony hair hung in messy tendrils, partly covering her pale, blood-stained face.

'_Blood…'_ The _Shadow_ moaned before stretching out her arms and grabbing Sai around the shoulders. However, her blood-shot eyes widened with maniac anger as the body she embraced didn't struggle but instead melted, transforming into a thick, dark liquid that caused her body to constrict together, trapped in bindings of ink.

'_What?'_ The _Little Girl _shrieked, eyes darting behind the trapped _Shadow_ to find Sai meters away and crouched low, painting rapidly on a roll of parchment.

Sai looked up, just as he swiped a final brushstroke across the parchment, dark eyes narrowing with challenge but mostly a promise – a _promise_ to protect those he cared about, "I am not afraid of you."

Instantly, ink creatures of many shapes and sizes exploded from the scroll unfurled across his bent knee, half of them careening towards the _Shadow_ and _Little Girl_. Behind him, Sai could hear Kakashi loudly cry out a fire-based Ninjutsu which was immediately met by a unified cry of pain. Swiftly, Sai drew three ink birds across his laid out scroll, silently commanding them to emerge and recover his comrades.

Another elegant swipe of his paintbrush and a final ink bird bled from the scroll, spreading out its feathered wings as it patiently waited for Sai to mount it. The painter, however, stared blankly at the _Little Girl_ as she squirmed under the bindings of his ink snakes, presenting incredible strength for her small build as she slowly broke the serpents apart, the dark liquid mingling with the crimson on her petite dress. The _Shadow_ was doing the same, grunting and screaming with unsuppressed anger.

'_You may not be afraid now,'_ The _Little Girl_ stated menacingly as her dark eyes connected with Sai's, _'But you will be. I'll strike fear into your heart. I'll make you afraid to lose the ones you care for! I'll make you afraid for them! I'll let you watch me eat them as they give their final, dying breaths!'_

Sai's eyes narrowed and an undoubtedly painful pull in his chest caused his frown to deepen. His grip on his tantō tightened and he was tempted with the urge to walk up to the child and stab her in the heart. He took a step forward, seriously considering the option, until logic returned in place of his still-confusing emotions.

"…My trust in their skills and abilities overrides any concerns I may have towards you," Sai stated blandly as he climbed atop his ink summons, "Perhaps you have made me afraid. Perhaps you will make me afraid. Either way, my promise is clearly not as foolish as that one that you hold onto – you may not take my friends, you will not kill my friends. I will make certain of that; I will protect them," Sai tilted his head thoughtfully, "If anything, it is _you_ who should be afraid – afraid of my friends," Suddenly, his dark eyes steeled into a fierce glare, taking note of her struggles within his ink, "And also, you should be afraid of _me_."

And with a final blink, Sai was in the air, cutting swiftly through the mist until breaking through the final, dense wall. He stared up at clear skies and a bright moon before glancing down at the hovering fog within the mountains. A movement to his right caused him to shift his gaze, nodding his head in acknowledgement as Kakashi, Hinata, and Kurotsuchi flew beside him on their respective ink perches.

"Definitely an experience…" Kakashi muttered gravely, his mismatched eyes staring down at the fog slithering along the mountainside, "And it seems we've only had a taste of what Sakura and the others have encountered."

Sai's frown deepened, brows pinched as he sheathed his tantō.

"It's frightening," Hinata admitted softly, Byakuugan still activated in case of further danger.

"We should head back to Iwa," Kurotsuchi suggested, her tone laced with sadness as she stared down at the abandoned Ishione Village also, "We'll tell Tsuchikage-sama what we've discovered. And the sooner you meet with him, the sooner you can leave and meet with your comrades to offer a hand."

Kakashi nodded, "Right."

Sai's ink summons hastily headed back in the direction of Iwagakure no Sato. The painter however, wasn't paying any attention to their journey but was frowning down at his hands, clenched around his paintbrushes, curious of the continuing stutter of his heartbeat. It pounded against his chest uncomfortably – so loud he could almost hear it within his ears. His body was hot but he couldn't recall moving around vigorously to induce fatigue.

"Sai-san?" Hinata called, pulling her ink-bird beside his, brows furrowed with concern, "Are you alright?"

Sai frowned, "…I am not certain. I told the child that I was not afraid of her yet I believe I am experiencing the symptoms of intense fear. I don't understand…"

Hinata blinked with confusion before biting her lower lip with thought, "M-Maybe it isn't fear towards _her_ but of what she's capable of doing. Maybe you're afraid of what she might do to Naruto-kun and the others."

Sai placed a hand against his heart, relieved to feel it slowing, and that his body was cooling down, "Perhaps. But I think…it might have also been anger."

"Anger?" The Hyuuga Heiress questioned with slight surprise.

Sai nodded, "Yes. Anger that this creature is trying to harm my friends," He let out a soft breath before relaxing his body, closing his eyes against the warm, Earth Country wind, "Perhaps I will inquire Ugly about it when we see them."

Hinata smiled softly, "Yes; that sounds like a good idea, Sai-san."

Sai nodded in affirmation. Anger. Fear. Worry. So many emotions in the past couple of days. It would be better to ask Sakura or Naruto about it. They showed the most emotion out of everyone he was acquainted with. And Sasuke could perhaps provide a logical opinion to their explanations also.

However, one thing was for certain. Sai pressed his hand once more against his chest, feeling the now-steady beating of his heart. These emotions he was experiencing – past and present – were evoked by very important people in his life. He would protect them because they would undoubtedly do the same for him.

They were his comrades. They were his friends. They were his family.

And _that_ was reason enough.

* * *

Bandages of several shapes and sizes were neatly rolled up and tucked away in the front left pouch. Healing ointment and basic herbs for serious injuries, burns, poison, and other ailments were stored in an inner pocket. Essential medical equipment including a scalpel, stethoscope, latex gloves, a matchbook and petri dishes for potential samples were tidily placed in a right side compartment. Extra Summoning Scrolls for weapons and supplies as well as spare kunai and senbon occupied the bottom of the bag. A rope and a spool of wire filled the left side compartment. And finally, ofudas and a bottle of soldier pills were nestled in her medical bag's front right pocket.

After making the checklist of supplies she needed to stock up on and believed necessary for her mission the following day, Sakura had set to work in gathering the items, making sure she would be fully prepared for their exploration into the Twisted Valley.

She sat outside of Yamamoto Osamu's Clinic, on a bench, half-listening to the conversations steadily flowing from the half-opened door of the building. Naruto and Sasuke were inside, accompanied by Keitaro, Souta, and Daisuke to gather even more medical supplies for _The Group_ waiting back at _Base_.

Zipping up her bag after checking and rechecking her materials, Sakura set the canvas carrier beside her before glancing down at her companion, resting her chin on her hand as she twisted her lips in thought.

"…I see…" She finally answered softly, "…Then if they go around the Tri-Point, Kaka-sensei and the others won't reach our position for another two days – day and a half, at best."

Her company bobbed its head once, "Correct, Sakura-chan. And Karin-san has been diligently going over the samples you've sent back to Konoha, but she and her Research Team aren't having any luck."

"Did she share anything at all about the substance?" Sakura inquired, "Anything, even, about the chakra it gave off?"

"Unfortunately, she wasn't familiar with it. She said she had never come across it, but she'll continue to do some research; she sounded quite frustrated," Sakura couldn't help but smirk at her companion's recollection of the memory; there was humor touched with her tone, "Everything Karin-san uncovered or theorized is in the Scroll," Absently, Sakura looked down at the Scroll in her lap. She had read it but like herself, Karin hadn't been getting many answers either, ever _with_ the helpful facilities offered in Konoha.

"Were you able to analyze it, Katsuyu-sama? Or has Tsunade-shishou?" The kunoichi queried in soft curiosity.

The miniature-sized slug nodded her head once again, "Yes, Tsunade-sama has also gone over your reports and samples. She was just as baffled as you were – and just as frustrated. I believe she would like you to send her a live subject if you have the chance," The Head of the Slugs' tone was wry; "Though a part of her is still skeptical of this incident being a _Curse_." Sakura hummed in response, understanding that her Master wouldn't initially believe such an implausible occurrence unless she experienced it herself.

"And _you_, Katsuyu-sama?"

"Well, I examined the evidence as well. I agree with Naruto-kun's Sage observations that it is of a natural chakra source but I am not too familiar with its origins. As a Summons I've seen many fantastic things in my long life and I will admit that this may be one of the top," Katsuyu's eyes swiveled thoughtfully, "Perhaps this is a _Curse_, controlled by nature and chakra, though I will say, I may have come across this particular aura before. If you would like, I can work alongside Karin-san and her Research Team to share my thoughts and input. Maybe my involvement may trigger something in my memory."

Sakura smiled, "I'd appreciate that, Katsuyu-sama."

The Slug inclined her blue-white head, "My pleasure, Sakura-chan; anything to bring you and your friends home safe and sound. Everyone is worried by your absence. Including Tsunade-sama – but you didn't hear that from me."

The kunoichi chuckled, "Thank you. That means a lot. And it makes me feel a lot better knowing we're not alone in solving this mystery. If something comes up, I'll let you know."

"I look forward to hearing from you," Katsuyu answered sincerely, bowing her head, "And if you need to contact Kakashi-san and his team, do not hesitate to use Hawk Communication. If there are any messages from Tsunade-sama or Karin-san, I will let you know."

With a bow and a small, grateful smile, Sakura watched the Head of the Slugs disappear in a small cloud of white smoke. As the residue of her disappearance drifted away with the afternoon winds, Sakura sat back in her seat and stared up at the clear blue skies. The sun was high and warm – such a perfect day that it seemed fitting as a reprieve before they entered back into the Tri-Point the next day.

"Kaka-sensei, Sai, and Hinata-chan…" Sakura whispered to herself, "Please be careful, you three."

With a final, resigned sigh, Sakura shouldered her pack and stood, making her way to the entrance of the Clinic and stepping through the half-opened doorway as the steady babble of conversation became louder to her ears.

"–while we're gone, will you be staying here? Can you keep an eye on Kaya-nee-chan?"

"Of course, Souta. Just be sure to make it back in one piece."

"Who do you think you're talking to, Keitaro-nii-san? I'm a _Chuunin_! And a damn good one at that!"

"Yeah, yeah."

"…Hey, by the way, thanks. You're right. Without you, we wouldn't be getting _any_ support from the Capitol. I know how hard it is to get shinobi to offer up their chakra to us…so…thanks."

"I want this solved just as much as you, Dai. I may not have chosen the path of a shinobi…But I still want to help."

"…So how rough _is_ it getting over there. The last batch of ofudas you sent was short fifty. We're running out of time, huh?"

"…Short? I could have sworn I sent you a full-count. Damn it; it must have gotten lost during the shipment, what a waste of chakra," Keitaro sighed, "But yeah, it's getting a little rough; we're _barely_ making the numbers. It doesn't help that the process is time consuming. Shinobi want to be up and active doing missions instead of sitting in a room all day disturbing their chakra to paper."

Sakura put her bag down on the counter. Keitaro, Dai, and Souta were situated in one corner of the Clinic rolling up gauze and – in Souta's case – mechanically mashing together herbs in a bowl to make a medicinal paste. The head of the Clinic, Osamu, was rummaging around the back room, occasionally appearing to put items and objects on his work table ranging from herbs to medical equipment, clearly trying to find anything that could benefit their journey.

Naruto was sitting nearer to the waiting area of the Clinic, absently staring at the pink and yellow play sets and toys while winding wire around a spool for his own pack. Sasuke sat on a chair across from him, silently going over his Summoning Scrolls and weapons inventory.

Naruto was the first to catch sight of Sakura, a grin forming on his tanned features as he leaned forward in his seat, "So, any good news from Konoha?"

Sakura shook her head, "No, they're just as perplexed as we are. Karin hasn't got any leads and Shishou isn't familiar with it either. Though, Katsuyu-sama might be able to help."

"And what about Kakashi and the others?" Sasuke asked.

"They should have arrived to Iwagakure no Sato by now," Sakura responded with a shrug, "Though Shishou ordered them to go _around_ the Tri-Point Forest. So we probably won't see them for another day or two."

"Yeah, better for them to avoid that disaster," Naruto muttered softly, "Who's on the team?"

"Kaka-sensei, Sai, and Hinata-chan," The Medic answered, watching Naruto for a reaction.

The blonde's countenance immediately darkened, eyes narrowing with deep contemplation, "_Definitely_ better that they go around the Tri-Point Forest then." Though, after several moments, his features lightened and relaxed, and a soft smile twitched the corners of his lips upwards. Sakura had no doubt that Naruto was looking forward to seeing Kakashi and his team arrive – _especially_ Hinata.

Osamu suddenly walked by the counter across from Sakura, balancing a microscope and a potted plant, and the kunoichi comfortably leaned against the counter just as he set his materials down.

"So you knew about Kaya-san, Osamu-san?" Sakura asked; her tone wasn't accusing but inquisitive.

The older man paused in his movements before guiltily meeting her eyes, "…I wanted to tell you Sakura-san. I tried to hint at it, but Dai asked that I keep it a secret."

The kunoichi recalled a vague conversation she had with the Physician a few days prior, _"…Daisuke has many secrets also – he's a guarded boy because of his past – particularly his sister and teammates. However, don't let it deter you – it takes time for him to open up, be patient if you can."_

Sakura nodded her head in understanding, "It's alright, trust is important. So, have you been in charge of looking after her?"

Osamu seemed to relax since blame hadn't been cast and he gave a short nod, "Yes; when Dai and Souta cannot. I usually provide the medicine to try and keep her sedated or at least numb any pain she's feeling. I've also supplied sleeping pills so she isn't up with her dark thoughts at night," He sighed, "Poor girl." He looked up at Sakura hopefully, "Have you figured anything out? About her condition? As a medical ninja of your expertise has studying her given you any clues?"

He was sincerely intrigued with both interest and concern but Sakura could only shake her head, "Not yet, Osamu-san. She's a special case. I'll have to take her investigation slowly and carefully if I want to save her."

Osamu nodded vigorously, "Of course, of course. And what about your village? Your Master? Any leads from them?"

"They're working on it too," Sakura supplied.

"Oh, the knowledge – the _possibilities_ – that can be done with you and your peers' skills and the use of chakra," Osamu wondered, and Sakura could see just how fascinated and involved he was with his work, "I hope we are supplied with answers soon if it'll help Kaya-san and our Village."

"I hope so too," The Medic agreed with a smile.

"Then we shall do our best, Sakura-san," Osamu answered with a small, wrinkled smile of his own. Then Sakura watched as Osamu bowed quickly before taking his potted plant and leaving the Clinic through the front door, most likely to bury it under the sunny weather outside where his herb garden grew.

"Hey, can someone get me some medical tape," Souta called, "I forgot to pack some in Kasumi-nee-chan's bag."

Dai had taken over mashing herbs and Keitaro and Souta were helpless as they held their rolled-up gauze – gauze that would unfortunately unravel if they let go of them. Being the closest to the storage closet, Sakura silently went off to fetch the supply.

A part of Sakura couldn't help but feel like bandages and medical tape would be useless in their mission into the Twisted Valley. _Corpses_ were quite weak unless they were in large mobs – in numbers that could overpower them if ambushed or cornered. _Deformed_ were dangerous with their sharpened claws and teeth, but with medics like herself, Shin, and Kasumi around, it wouldn't be a problem to patch them up.

It was the _Creature_ and _Little Girl_ that worried her. If _one_ touch brought someone into a state of paranoia and insanity like Yoshida Kaya and Satsuma Yoshiro – then what was the point of bandages? From past experiences, _one touch_ and you're basically done for.

Sakura sighed, shaking her head from her cynical thoughts as she entered the small storage room, cluttered with several items.

"Tape…Tape…Tape…" She muttered as she scanned the shelves. Her eyes brightened as she spotted the familiar round, blue container she used herself, hidden behind several boxes and an axe. She eyed the old, rusted axe thoughtfully before moving it aside to claim her item, frowning as she realized, once again, the extent of this _Curse_.

"Why else would there be an axe in a Clinic," The Medic sighed, "These people are scared. Any weapon is protection if those barrier-ofudas come down and those monsters enter this village…"

She had once brought up evacuation to Dai – it would be one less thing to worry about as they continued to work. He had calmly responded that the Village had to be protected _anyways_ so they would have a place to go home to. Having the villagers around wasn't just a calming effect for _The Group_ but a silent support that kept them going.

It didn't help that the villagers also _refused_ to leave their homes. They were placing their entire lives and complete trust in them.

"Your tape," Sakura called, tossing the object and watching it land on Souta's lap. The boy grinned gratefully, chocolate-brown eyes bright.

The kunoichi returned to the waiting area to find Naruto missing and Sasuke in the same seat as before, quietly inspecting the blade of his Kusanagi.

"These are the last of the ofudas," Keitaro informed as he handed Dai a full-stack, "Use it well, I probably won't have another batch ready until next week."

"Thanks, Keitaro, we really appreciate it." Dai's words were completely sincere, his expression a little apologetic, which Keitaro waved off with a nonchalant hand.

"If we really need to, we can always spend a few hours as a group making a few," Souta suggested, "Even if it _is_ boring."

'_Naruto definitely won't be taking part in that…'_ Sakura automatically thought as she recalled Naruto's recent stunt of sacrificing himself by using the Nine Tails' chakra within ofudas.

Sakura's brows suddenly pinched with consideration and she absently took a seat across from Sasuke, staring off into nothing as several things in her head connected together like a puzzle, using pieces from the past and had no real connection to the present – but could still _fit_ and be useful in their current situation.

"Sakura."

Her emerald gaze returned to focus to find Sasuke watching her. A slow grin spread on her lips. A single brow quirked as the Uchiha continued to watch her with curiosity and growing confusion.

"What?"

Sakura leaned forward, "Hey, Sasuke-kun. Do you remember Snow Country?"

There had only been one time Sasuke had visited Snow Country and it had been in the presence of Team Kakashi, before his defection, "…What about it?"

Sakura's grin widened and her green irises flashed with excitement, "Do you remember when we kicked ass as a team – just the two of us? Flawless teamwork, I'll admit too." Her grin slightly turned smug.

Sasuke blinked and Sakura watched as he delved into his memories and acquired the details slowly but surely, an understanding clearing his focus as he returned his full attention to her; the pieces of the puzzle she was trying to show him were fitting together for him too. His words, however, were still slow with mild uncertainty, "…Chakra armor?"

The kunoichi's grin was met with the Uchiha's confident smirk as she nodded her head in affirmation, "Yes, Sasuke-kun. _Chakra armor_."

* * *

**A/N:** Hey All! I'm Back! Sorta. But anyways, _so so so so so so sooooo sorry_ about the long wait again, I really tried to aim for the one-two week deadline but so many things came up – work and vacation and then I was watching baseball like crazy at the bars because OMG I LOVE THE SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS! Ahhhh, so yeah, I've been spending my nights with friends and baseball, heehee, I just love that damn sport and I love my Giants miSFits to death. So, now that work has slowed down a bit and baseball games are making me super hyper, I'm typing up the rest of this chapter, even when it's 3:47 in the morning and I have work at 9AM. Thank baseball and the awesome game today for this update (though I'm not trying to make enemies with any Tigers, just emphasizing my love for my home team) because this good mood is making me write! Yay! I've been in a bit of a writing slump anyway lately. Hopefully this pulls me back out.

Sorry for the slightly uneventful chapter, it's called **Interlude** for a reason, but don't worry, after this chapter, when they go into the Twisted Valley – _**AHHHHHHHHHHHHH**_! Can't wait! Teehee!

**AND!** How did you like the scenes? Particularly Team Kakashi, Sai, and Hinata and their encounter with _The Curse_? I really wanted to try a hand with Sai's personality. It was…difficult, so I hope I made it come off as believable and In Character – as well as Hinata. Kakashi, Sai, and Hinata won't be a big part in this story but it's cool to see another perspective to this problem. **AND!** What about Sakura's talk with Katsuyu? Especially with mentions of Karin? Don't worry, Karin will have a scene too, but not until laaaater. Teehee!

Have any questions or concerns, let me know, leave some feedback in a review or PM me, I'll try to get back to you as soon as possible! I LOVE YOU GUYS! YOU'RE ALL AMAZING!

**Oh Yeah!** So the _Chakra Armor_ Sasuke and Sakura are remembering refers back to the **First Naruto Movie**! I'm sure you've all watched that one! Remember Sasuke's and Sakura's teamwork? Ahh the possibilities of that happening again in the manga…I hope…really, really _hope_…sniff. And **DON'T WORRY**, this _Chakra Armor_ won't make them invincible, where's the horror fun in that? You'll see next chapter!

**BTW**: So glad a lot of you liked the kissing scene, I'm usually not very good at it, but I'm trying to practice for my other fictions. As for a _**LEMON**_, uh…I don't think it'll happen in this story UNLESS it goes with the flow, which I doubt because if I were in Sakura's position, sex with a guy I JUST kissed isn't my priority, I just want to get out of that village ALIVE! Perhaps in a sequel or one-shot off the same universe, but most likely not in this story…

**Oh yeah**…have I mentioned that I'm _thinking_ about a **sequel** for this story? _**Would you guys read it**_**?** Heeheehee, we'll just have to see how this story ends though too! Buuuut, I also have some unfinished projects I _should_ finish…so we'll see!

**BTW**: Out of all my unfinished works already posted (like **Vengeance**, **Rehabilitation**, **Missing In Action**, **Forbidden Bonds**, etc) in what order would you like me to work on them. I think I have a poll, but I like hearing feedback and thoughts about it too, if you'd be so kind to leave it. That way I know what's popular enough to be interesting to read. **Road of Touch** will hopefully be finished too since it's not so long, so I'll get on that ASAP!

**AND!** A reviewer asked me if I read any horror novels and I don't, actually. However, just as this reviewer asked me, IF THERE ARE ANY GREAT HORROR BOOKS (with the added bonus of ROMANCE) WILL YOU TELL ME? Let me at 'em! I wanna know, I wanna read it! And it could be cool for future inspiration! I usually get my inspiration from movies and video games, but reading a horror book would be AWESOME!

**Talk to me guys! Can't wait to hear from you!**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto and Company. Only the Plot and Original Characters.

**Next Chapter:** _Clandestine_

**Next Update:** Within 7-14 days (hopefully)

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-**Darker Thank Black  
-Sword Art Online  
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-Kamisama Hajimemashita

**I'm craving for MORE, so if anyone can recommend great Anime/Manga, I'LL LOVE YOU FOREVER! Heehee!**

**Thank You to all readers and reviewers! You're the BEST!**

I have a **Tumblr** now, called **SincerelyLen**. It's more of a **personal blog** if you're interested, but I have a few fiction recs and quotes I will put up and reference also. My **Twitter** was a _**fail**_ since there's only so much I can say in a small box. **Blogs** are more my thing. Add me if you'd like?

**Please Check-Out My Other Fictions!**

**Updates Soon to be POSTED!  
**_**(…hopefully…)**_  
_**Rehabilitation  
Psychotic  
Missing In Action  
Vengeance  
False Façade  
The Road of Touch; The Road To Feeling**_**  
A NEW STORY – **_**Confinement**_**  
AND EVEN MORE TO COME!**

**Thank You To Those Who Read And Review! You're AWESOME!**

_**LotzaLove!  
Len83  
aka  
Luvinukag83**_


	24. Clandestine

**The Curse**

_**Chapter Twenty-Four: Clandestine**_

Sakura breathed in slowly through her nose before exhaling just as slowly through her mouth. Her muscles tensed on the inhale and relaxed on the exhale, molding her chakra with controlled concentration. Her eyes shifted beneath her eyelids, listening as footsteps sounded behind her seated form. She could feel several pairs of eyes trained on her with intense observation.

"…Again…" Sakura whispered.

"…These are the last of the practice wards that we can spare…" Daisuke voiced behind her and the Leaf kunoichi only nodded her head in silent acknowledgement.

"…Alright…_Fuuinjutsu: Shichi Kekkai_!"

The pink-haired medic's lips twitched downwards with mild discomfort as she felt her stomach become warm with increased energy. Chakra signatures that were strange and unfamiliar to her bombarded her senses and were on the verge of overwhelming her entirely. It was a peculiar experience that almost made it difficult to discern her _own_ chakra within her body, and she had to concentrate on keeping her chakra at the core of her figure, molding it in a way that caused the numerous, foreign chakra to overlap and brush against her like a shield.

In other words, she had to control _her_ chakra to stay _within_ her body in order to keep the alien chakras of the activated ofudas _outside_ and _around_ her body – thus creating a protective barrier from adversaries like the _creatures_ of the _Curse_.

It took a considerable amount of chakra control to maintain it.

"…One minute…" Daisuke counted softly, "…Two minutes…Three…"

Around her Sakura could hear several shifts in movement. A sharp exhale across from her; a gasp of breath at her left; a slight, familiar grunt at her direct right…

"…Five minutes…Six…" Dai continued.

There was more movement sounding around Sakura as she sustained her focus, sweat beginning to form on her temples and her brows furrowing a fraction. If she broke her meditation for a moment, then the chakra would burst, leaving the ofuda attached to her stomach but making the paper useless. Her concentration not only anchored the multiple chakras to her body like a shield but _also_ anchored the chakras to the ward to prevent them from dispersing into nothing. However, the longer it was held, the more dangerous it became to the body – potentially, the foreign chakras could move erratically and combust, consequently overwhelming the individual and risk him or her passing out or feeling a painful recoil that could leave their own personal chakra ineffective for several minutes.

Basically – hold it for less than five minutes, the individual could release concentration of the multiple chakras without repercussions; hold it for _more_ than five minutes, and it would have to be released similar to that of a Genjutsu – hand seal concentration with _Kai: Release_.

It was easier to let it go before five minutes was up. However, it was a one-time use. It was only beneficial to use it as long as possible, especially when dealing with the _creatures_.

"…Ten minutes…" Daisuke offered with a hint of impress in his tone.

Sakura finally noticed that it was completely silent in the room and could _feel_ that the number of eyes trained on her had multiplied. A slight brush against her right shoulder was a silent signal that didn't need words.

Breathing out slowly, Sakura placed her hands together in a simple seal, "_Kai_."

Instantly, the effects of the ward on her stomach began to subside and the warm feeling of numerous chakras and increased power began to ebb away. She opened her eyes and watched as the ofuda, attached to her stomach, flickered a bright, light blue before fading away, leaving a simple rectangular paper.

"Twelve minutes. Impressive, Sakura-san."

Sakura blinked across from her to find Shin and Kasumi, both sitting in a meditative position similar to her own and their spent ofudas a pale white against their stomachs. Shin was smirking, having shared his complimenting statement, and Kasumi was staring at her with a smooth yet acknowledging expression.

To her left, since they were sitting in a small circle, Akemi was also watching Sakura with wide, olive eyes, her ofuda already placed neatly beside her. Sakura couldn't help but blush under her open scrutiny, switching her gaze to her right, where Daisuke and Raiden were sitting across from the female twin. Raiden was smirking and Dai was staring with interest at the ofuda he held in his hands. Sasuke was sitting directly at her right, slowly peeling the ward off his own chest.

Out of the entire _Group_, Sakura, and the six people sitting around her in their makeshift circle, were the most adept at controlling their chakra just enough to handle an ofuda on their body as provisional _chakra armor_, building off the similar concept she and Team Kakashi had encountered during their time in Snow Country when they had been twelve years old. As basic medics, Shin, Kasumi, and Akemi were the most able to control their chakra and maintain the effects for as long as possible. Sasuke, Raiden, and Dai were able to prevail by sheer will, as well as their years of experience and the ability to manage a large arsenal of powerful Ninjutsu. Naruto would have definitely been capable also – however, his connection with the Kyuubi prevented him, so the suggestion to sit out of the learning process was mostly for his safety.

"…Twelve minutes…" Akemi muttered as she looked down at the ofuda beside her, frowning, "I barely made it to _four_…"

"Those four minutes can save your life, Akemi," Dai spoke, his tone laced with excitement, "…To have come up with this idea and to figure out the mechanics to make us mobile _and_ protected…" He looked up to connect navy irises with emerald, "It's brilliant!"

"We've learned already that the _creatures_ avoid shinobi-filled villages and have attacked civilian-based towns, thus the reason you use chakra-filled ofudas for protection. Dai-san told me each _single_ ofuda holds at least ten ninjas' worth of chakra. Using only _one_ for the space around my body is sufficient enough for protection as opposed to using thirty or more for a large space – like a house or the Patrolling Facility's borders," Sakura glanced at Sasuke briefly before addressing the individuals surrounding her, "Using the same mechanics as a chakra armor Sasuke-kun and I encountered several years ago, we came up with a temporary, but effective, way of movable protection. However, it's only for _emergencies_," Her clarification was completely serious as she peeled the rectangular parchment off her, "We don't want to make stupid decisions by trying to go off into danger willingly. It doesn't last long and we don't want to be wasting our limited wards on a few minutes. Besides, we were mediating by practice – using this technique in the company of our enemy will affect our concentration and, therefore, our time limit."

Raiden nodded, "She's right."

"But it _is_ something," Shin acknowledged, "Thank you for sharing this with us, Sakura-san." He switched his gaze to Sasuke, "And you, as well, Uchiha-san."

Sakura flushed once more, "Really, it was nothing. Whatever helps, right?" She nudged her elbow against Sasuke's left arm, the Uchiha responding with a short, noncommittal grunt.

"…Still, it's pretty amazing…" Akemi admitted, directing a small smile towards the Leaf kunoichi.

_Knock. Knock._

Raiden called out for allowed entry and the door to the warehouse – where they had been practicing their control of the _chakra armor_ – opened with a loud _creak_. Souta's brown-haired head shortly peeked through which was followed by his left hand – thumb pointing just over his shoulder.

"Sun's about to rise; everyone's ready to go," He informed, chocolate irises hardened with anticipation.

Dai nodded his head and everyone stood from the floor, steadily making their way to their discarded packs, eager to finally cut through into the Twisted Valley. Sakura adjusted her radio earpiece into her left ear, following after Sasuke as he strapped his Kusanagi to his back.

_The Group_ would be traveling as a single, massive unit for four hours to Section _D_ – the area where Sakura and Isamu had cut through into the Twisted Valley. It was there that they would find the next clue to _The Curse_'s mystery.

* * *

Sakura stood resolutely at the top of the slope, staring down at the shadowed entrance she had created days prior with a slight frown. Her emerald gaze shifted upward to the rising sun, mentally deducing that there were still a couple of hours left before they hit midday. Her gloved hands fisted with silent determination and she turned around to perform a sweeping glance of her gathered companions.

Earpieces were being checked and rechecked. Ofudas and medical supplies were being counted and recounted. Souta was rocking back and forth on his heels impatiently, both hands clenched tightly around the backpack straps wrapped around his shoulders. Akemi was tapping her foot against the ground absently, staring down at the downward slope with concern. Her twin, Akio, stood beside her, grinning broadly with clear enthusiasm. Takeru was leaning against a tree, nonchalant as ever, while Dai went over strategy a final time with Raiden, Kasumi, and Shin.

Naruto was surprisingly hard-faced as he stood off to the side, speaking in low tones with Sasuke, who answered the blonde just as quietly.

"Is it strange that I get shivers just by looking at that place?"

Sakura shifted her gaze to find Isamu standing a few feet away from her, staring down at the created-entrance of the Valley with an ironic smirk, grey-blue eyes clouded with memory.

"It makes me uneasy too…" Sakura admitted, "…Are you sure you're up for this, Isamu-san? You're arm…"

"It's fine," The blonde assured strongly, holding up the healed but still-wrapped limb for her viewing, "No worries. Besides, the ladies back home _love_ scars."

Sakura smirked, becoming accustomed to the Rain Ninja's joking nature, "A _healthy_ amount of scars, I'm sure."

"Ah, yes," He agreed solemnly, "Wouldn't want to look like a jigsaw puzzle either – though the possibilities of the pick up! How's this Sakura-san? When a nice gal's looking at me strangely I'll say '_trying to puzzle me out? – trust me, I'm very fun to play with'_," He added in a playful wink and Sakura couldn't hold back her incredulous snort; he grinned, "You'd run for the hills, yeah?"

"I'd probably look at you like you're insane–"

"Which is the look you're giving me right now," Isamu piped in wittily.

"–Just stick with the handsome grin and that slick humor and I'm sure you'll be fine," Sakura finished with a roll of her eyes.

"Is _that_ what charms you, Sakura-san?" He grinned brightly.

Instantly, Sakura flushed, shaking her head, "I didn't _say_–"

"Or is it the broody, _silent_ types you go for?" Isamu interrupted in a conspiratorial, albeit teasing, whisper.

However, before Sakura could explain herself, Dai was calling for everyone's attention. An involuntary pout formed on her lips as Isamu winked once more, waggling his brows before shooting a glance across the clearing where she _knew_ a certain dark-haired, Sharingan-wielding shinobi was standing.

'_He's worse than Naruto!'_ She couldn't help but think.

"Alright," Daisuke started as Sakura shook the thoughts from her head – and sent a half-hearted glare in Isamu's direction, "Since this is completely unknown territory, we will be traveling as a single group. Until we get a better layout of the Twisted Valley we will _not_ be separating unless necessary. Radios will still be on the same frequencies but we're all _sticking together_. Understood?"

Several nods, a couple grunts, a few stated affirmations, but Dai was satisfied.

"Because Sakura-san and Isamu-san have explored the furthest they will be leading us through the Valley – furthermore, if more dense foliage needs to be cut down, Sakura-san is probably the fastest and most efficient to get it done – so the lineup will go as follows – after Sakura-san and Isamu-san…"

As Dai continued his explanation, Sakura walked further down the slope, still wary and cautious, but mostly curious now that _time_ and the sun's presence were to her advantage. Isamu followed after her, both their gazes trained intensely on the roughly-shaped opening, recalling the last time they were there with slight apprehension.

"We've got plenty of time to explore; it's not even noon yet," Isamu assured, though his words seemed to be aimed more towards himself.

"Remember, once we go in, there's no coming out!" Dai's voice rang out loud and clear, "We have enough supplies, rations, and wards to last us _four_ _days_. We're going to make the most of it. If there's nothing on the other side, then we'll return to _Base_ immediately!"

"I'm pretty sure we'll find something," Akio muttered eagerly.

"Will it be a _good_ thing or a _bad_ thing?" Akemi whispered, "_That's_ the question."

"Okay, let's move out!"

Sakura couldn't help the involuntary shiver that crawled up her spine as the winds picked up. A sense of uneasiness ran through her – a part of her mind _screamed_ that she turn around and not come back.

A hand rested on her shoulder and Sakura startled slightly, head snapping around to find Naruto and Sasuke standing firmly behind her – the former gave an encouraging grin and the latter squeezed her shoulder in silent support. With a small grateful smile, Sakura nodded her head once and faced the Twisted Valley's entrance, eyes narrowing with strengthening resolve.

With Sakura and Isamu leading the massive group beyond the threshold, the Leaf kunoichi felt a significant difference from the first time she had explored the area. The multiple presences of her comrades was soothing – _comforting_ – and the high sun allowed beams of light to strike through the patches of the overhead canopies, making it less disturbing to traverse through.

Just as they had before, Sakura and Isamu led their companions over large tree roots and under thin, spindly branches. When sunlight started to become scarce with the density of the forests, the group of shinobi moved closer together. Within moments, the strange but familiar glowing blue mushrooms could be seen in the distance, dimmed-down but still proficient enough to allow viewing of the dead-end clearing and its adjacent pond.

"This was as far as we were able to travel…" Sakura informed and her eyes automatically connected with Naruto's and Sasuke's, immediately recalling the conversation they had the night before – her encounter with, what she believed was, _Amaya_ – at least in a _ghost_ form.

Everyone gathered around the pond, looking down at its still and dark water with trepidation. All were quiet as they observed the ominous body of water, fidgeting in some way.

"…I'll go first…" Sakura finally volunteered, stepping forward. All eyes snapped towards her in surprise.

"Sakura–" Sasuke began, but she immediately shook her head at him, pulling a long rope from her bag in the process.

"I know these radios are waterproof," The kunoichi stated as she pointed at her ear, "But, just in case – four slow tugs will mean I'm safe on the other side. Two quick tugs will mean I'm in trouble. If there's no tug within five minutes, pull the rope back."

"We'll go in pairs," Sasuke pressed, "It's not safe to go alone. You don't know what's on the other side." He took the rope that was currently wrapped around her wrist and wrapped a portion around his own, "I'll be right behind you."

One look and Sakura knew there was no arguing with him. So, with a half-smile, she led the Uchiha to the still-pond and handed the other end of the rope to Dai. With a deep breath she stepped into the shallow portion, shuddering as the cold water jolted her senses, comforted only by Sasuke's strong presence behind her.

"We'll see you on the other side," Naruto stated, sharing a jubilant grin.

Inhaling deeply, Sakura held her breath and plunged into the darkness of the freezing waters, closing her eyes for a brief moment if only to save them from the startling coldness of the temperature. She was hesitant to open her eyes, afraid of what she'd see, but when she did only darkness and the bubbles of her movements greeted her.

A movement along her shoulder caused her to look back and see the familiar silhouette of Sasuke, who was waving his hand in a gesture to move forward. Nodding, Sakura shifted her direction downward, feeling along the walls just as she did the first time, squinting her eyes beyond the darkness until her hand swiped at nothing but water.

She blindly felt behind her and grabbed Sasuke's wrist, guiding him as she ventured deeper into the underground tunnel. She didn't know how long it was but caution overrode the fact that she had a five minute time limit before they were forcefully pulled back.

It was after a few more yards that Sakura felt another wall ahead of her, jaggedly shaped and oddly causing her hand to get caught. It stopped her and Sasuke from moving forward but she pulled back her hand in an attempt to free it. Surprisingly, the wall was pulled along with the force.

She was expecting an underwater rockslide, heart rate beginning to increase as adrenaline shot through her body, mind quickly conjuring up a plan of action to avoid being crushed when they had the disadvantage of darkness. Her right hand squeezed Sasuke's in silent panic, feeling the wall still attached to her left hand come towards her.

It wasn't a wall.

Even with the murkiness of the water and her eyesight adjusting to the dark, mere _inches _from her face, Sakura could see a pile of bones and – in particular – a skull. Her hand had been caught in the ribcage of a _skeleton_.

Stunned, a barrage of bubbles left Sakura's mouth as she let out a scream, her right hand gripping Sasuke's tightly as she kicked her legs, swimming upwards and, hopefully, to a surface. A dim light was shining above and Sakura focused on it entirely as she kicked as fast and as hard as she could until _finally_ she broke through the liquid plane.

She was gasping, breathing in and out heavily, faintly hearing Sasuke come up for air not seconds later, his hand still clasped in hers as he used his free one to wipe the wetness from his eyes and face. Sakura quickly pulled her left hand out of the water, relieved to find she wasn't attached to anything, and let out a small whimper of relief.

"What happened?" Sasuke asked as he reversed the hold she had on him – his fingers were now curled around hers – and he led her to a shallow side of the pond. His eyes immediately swept the area for any danger but found a quiet forest clearing similar to the one they had left their other companions in – though the glowing mushrooms weren't present.

Sakura shook her head, water dripping uncomfortably off her hair and clothes, "Nothing. I…I just got startled."

"The ghost?" He questioned, taking a seat beside her on the pond's edge and wringing the excess water out of his shirt.

"No," The kunoichi responded as she did the same to her hair, "It was just a skeleton."

Sasuke glanced at her – tried to read her expression – but her eyes were downcast as she mechanically went about getting dry. He wasn't going to push her. He could already tell, since arriving at the Twisted Valley's entrance, that Sakura had felt uncomfortable. He assumed that their last venture through the Tri-Point had left her a little more traumatized then he realized.

Upon closer scrutiny, Sakura's hands were even _shaking_ as she wrung her clothes and rechecked her soaked pouches and bag for any missing items.

"Hey." He caught her hand firmly in his grasp and her eyes snapped to meet dark obsidian with surprise. "Sakura." He wiped his free thumb along her brow to prevent a water rivulet from going into her eyes, and then traced that same thumb along her cheekbone, "You're safe."

Sakura's brows immediately creased with sadness, her eyes closing as she tried to control the onslaught of tears that wanted to escape her. Ever since reaching the entrance of the Twisted Valley, Sakura had felt _exhaustion_ creep over her at an overwhelming rate. The unknown of this exploration was making her restless and uncertain and she had the sudden urge to break down and release all of her pent-up emotions.

Another sweeping brush of Sasuke's thumb across her left temple left Sakura's tense muscles to relax. She was cold and wet from the pond but Sasuke's touch was warm and calming. She let out a soft breath and smoothed out the wrinkle of her brow before opening her eyes and connecting her grateful, emerald irises with Sasuke's hooded obsidian.

"I'm tired," Sakura admitted softly, shivering from a passing breeze against her wet clothes; she moved forward to press her forehead against Sasuke's, staring down at his collarbone before going cross-eyed to stare into his dark eyes just inches away, "And paranoia is probably catching up with me."

Sasuke only let out a soft breath as he closed his own eyes, keeping his forehead pressed against hers, feeling her fingers lightly caress the palms of his wet hands.

"…Thanks, Sasuke-kun," She whispered softly, pulling away to view him more clearly; she offered an apologetic half-smile, "And I'm sorry, my emotions have been so chaotic lately…"

"Don't apologize," His words were firm, "There's nothing to apologize for."

"There's plenty to be sorry about," Sakura sighed quietly; she blinked, "…And _you_, Sasuke-kun?" Her question was hesitant but laced with genuine curiosity, "I feel so selfish burdening you with my own feelings…What about you?"

The Uchiha frowned, "I'm fine. And you're not a burden; don't think that you are," He scowled and turned a glare towards the still-waters of the pond, "The situation is an annoyance – that's all."

Sakura couldn't help but laugh lightly, shaking her head, "Everything's an annoyance to you, isn't it, Sasuke-kun?"

He turned to look at her, watching as she tucked damp strands of pink hair behind her ear, "…No, not everything."

The tone of his voice, gentle and sincere, caused Sakura to look back at him. She stared into his dark eyes, trying to read his carefully concealed emotions, and couldn't help but reach out her hand to timidly caress his right cheek.

She smiled, "That's good."

A sudden smirk twitched the corners of his lips, "Though, occasionally, even those get pretty damn annoying too."

Sakura rolled her eyes, mouth opening to retort, only for a tug along her left wrist to snap her gaze towards her lap, realizing with a start and a mental-berate that she was currently on a mission. Sasuke quietly took the rope and tugged the rough cord four times in slow succession.

"…–_hello?_" Their radio earpieces cackled to static-filled life with Naruto's deep voice filtering through, "_…oh, you finally felt a tug, Dai? They're okay? Well, damn, took you guys long enough; can you hear me? The hell; are you guys making use of your time alone over there or something?_" There was overlapping laughter that followed his statement and Sakura had no doubt that it belonged to Isamu.

"_Naruto…_" Sakura seethed.

"You're an idiot," Sasuke spoke calmly into his radio, though his brows were creased with irritation, "There was a brief obstacle within the tunnel and we needed to scope the safety of this area."

"_Yeah, yeah_," Naruto replied, unconvinced, "_Whatever you say_. _We'll be there soon…Better be decent!_"

"Oh for the love of–_Shut up, Naruto_!" Sakura growled into her microphone. She sighed and turned towards Sasuke, "An example of one of your occasional annoyances?"

"The _dobe_ is a _constant_ annoyance, I'm sure you're aware," The Uchiha scoffed, standing up and holding out a hand to help her to her feet also. She took it with an agreeing chuckle.

Once fully upright, Sakura offered the man a small smile, "Again, thanks for listening, Sasuke-kun. And thanks, for being around when I need you; I really do appreciate it," And with a short hesitation and a blush across her cheeks, Sakura moved forward and placed a chaste kiss at the corner of his mouth, pulling away to find a fraction of surprise cross Sasuke's expression before he turned away with a grunt, color rising lightly at the tips of his ears.

"…Anytime."

* * *

Sakura tilted her head thoughtfully as she examined the scenery around her, blinking up at the tall trees that towered above her. Branches weaved together in an intricate canopy that left the area under a dim light, with occasional rays of sunshine breaking through small cracks in thin, yet bright, beams. Unlike the entrance of the Twisted Valley, the forest wasn't as dense that made it difficult to move through – instead, the trees were massive, _old_ trees that were incredibly high with thick trunks and were scattered apart with yards of distance between them. Their branches reached far up into the skies creating almost a natural roof of crisscrossing bark.

"It's…actually quite pretty…"

The Leaf kunoichi glanced to her right, where Akemi had stepped up beside her, staring up at the trees with a bittersweet smile, water dripping off her bangs and across her pale skin. She blinked olive eyes at the roof with both wonder and contemplation.

"So this is probably why we could never break through…" She whispered, stepping forward and holding a hand out to cross with a ray of yellow light, "That roof-barricade is just as strong as the entrance to the Twisted Valley. We tried so many times to fly above and look for an opening…" She looked around at the quiet forests, "…I guess, today, we've finally discovered what's been hidden beneath those thick, entwining boughs of wood…"

"…I'm surprised by how empty it is…" Sakura confessed as she looked around, eyeing the patches of grass and moss along the ground, taking in the numerous columns of light that stretched out in front of her, "It looks so surreal…But it's so quiet too. If I hadn't known there was a _Curse_, this place would seem so…relaxing." She sighed and shook her head, "But it's not…Far from it."

"At least we don't have to break through anything else," Isamu offered positively, stepping up on Sakura's left as he shook the water from his shoulder-length, blonde hair, "We can move through it easily enough."

"We should still be cautious though," Daisuke warned as he shouldered his damp pack, "Everyone in formation; let's head out."

"…So…which direction?" Souta asked, chocolate eyes scanning the large expanse of forest laid out before them.

"Do we even know what we're looking for?" Takeru grumbled with irritation.

"Does it matter?" Akio countered, running a hand through his red hair, "As long as we find something, right?"

"So, uh…which direction, then?" Souta asked again.

"Northeast," All eyes turned to Naruto, whose eyes were closed, a slight orange-coloring surrounding his eyes. He raised his right hand, pointing his index finger in the direction he stated, "There's a massive amount of chakra northeast of here – the same one the _creatures_ give off. But it's dormant; a lot weaker than how it feels when it's dark."

"…Is it safe to be going towards that?" Akemi questioned unsurely, "We're in _their_ territory now. We don't know what's out there."

"And that's why we're here – to find out," Raiden responded strongly, his jaw locked with determination as he stepped forward, flanked by Kasumi and Shin. The trio walked with a confident, steely gait and Sakura wordlessly followed after them, curiosity now getting the best of her as she strode under the beams of occasional, warm sunlight.

Silence accompanied them as they traversed the unfamiliar terrain of the Twisted Valley, broken only by the _crunch_ of their footwear against dead leaves and random sticks. The atmosphere almost seemed like a regular, casual stroll in a park. Sakura could feel the tension leaving her shoulders because she didn't feel the least bit threatened – wary, yes – but not threatened.

"The air is very still," Shin commented.

"…It feels like time has stopped…" Kasumi agreed with a short nod.

Sakura's hands clenched, _'Could we be trapped in a Genjutsu?'_

"No," Sakura's emerald irises slid to her right where Sasuke walked beside her, answering her unasked question. His Sharingan was activated, crimson eyes observing the tranquil setting. The Medic relaxed her fists and nodded her head with acceptance.

"We're getting closer," Naruto informed, "Five miles away," He pointed ahead where a far-off rise of trees was barely visible, "That hill – it's coming from just over that hill."

"Okay," Raiden called out, "Let's pick up the pace."

A light jog was started – nothing too fast unless they missed any details due to their haste. Anticipation curled drastically within Sakura's belly and she could practically feel it increase around her, witnessing Souta's eyes brighten and Dai's lips curve into a small smirk.

Closer – they were getting _closer_ to much needed answers. Sakura's fingers curled tightly together just as they reached the foot of the hill, her emerald gaze hardened with determination before she concentrated additional chakra into her legs, moving forward _faster_, her heart pounding loudly in her chest.

* * *

Sakura blinked. She took a deep breath and blinked again. Her mouth opened in an attempt to speak but nothing came out and all she could do was blink once more. Everyone stood in a line beside her, their expressions just as equally as enthralled and speechless as hers. The Leaf kunoichi licked her dry lips, wordlessly scanning the landscape view she and her companions had stumbled upon – something completely unexpected.

"…It's…" Akemi began quietly – disbelievingly – as she took a single step forward, olive eyes examining the vast landscape laid out before them.

"…It's…a _castle_…" Sakura finished breathlessly.

There was no mistaking it. Standing on the peak of the hill, Team Kakashi and _The Group_ were able to clearly view a massive castle. The hill they stood on sloped down into a deep valley or gorge where the old, wooden building stood in the middle of it. Their path to the structure was blocked by more forestry that seemed easy enough to travel through. On the opposite side of their entrance, beyond the structure, there was a lake about three-times larger than the castle itself. In the middle of the lake was a small island that was occupied by a lone tree that towered just as tall as the building. It was such a strange setting to Sakura's eyes. But what made the picture even more surreal were the skies above. The entire area was covered by the same crisscrossing dome of branches and bark; and light fell through millions of cracks and openings which provided plenty of dimmed-luminescence for the space. The roof looked thick with the branch-covered barricade but the fact that sunlight still broke through and gave the Twisted Valley such a dreamlike glow was…_amazing_.

"…What the _hell_ did we just find?" Takeru grumbled as he eyed the ancient structure sitting lonely – _ominously_ – a few miles away from where they stood.

"…It's not too surprising…" Shin answered softly, grey eyes observing the light reflecting off the waters of the distant lake, "Many, _many_ years ago – before shinobi came into existence – there was an era of feudalism. Daimyos were more common, ruling over smaller areas rather than large countries. After strength and territories grew with the emergence of ninja, some castles were abandoned for places newer and more convenient for managing. This must be one of them…"

"What a strange place to build a castle," Isamu observed as he looked up at the covered skies.

"Maybe it was ideal," Akio shrugged, "Looks like a tough fortress to get through. It seems well-protected. Maybe these people wanted isolation."

"Or maybe it was a death-trap," Dai spoke up gravely, "Maybe the people of the past left it because it was _Cursed_. Maybe this place has always been haunted and it's finally escaped to spread to other areas."

"Well, who the fuck's freed it then?" Takeru growled, crossing his arms over his chest, harsh features twisting with annoyance.

"Let's find out," Sakura responded as she took a step forward, following the downward path of the hill, eager to start this new exploration.

The next few miles of travel towards the lonely, ancient structure of the Twisted Valley was filled with quiet conversation. The new discovery left the group in an excited and anticipating mood as they shared theories and questions, observing their surroundings with both wariness and fascination.

"There's a lot of ground to cover…" Sakura perceived, watching the lake disappear behind the building the closer they moved towards it, traveling further down the slope of the hill; she looked up at the sky, blinking up at the spots of bright yellow, "We've probably just hit midday," She glanced at her right where Daisuke ran alongside her, "I think it'll be safe to split up in order to explore more."

Dai instantly nodded his agreement, "When we reach the castle we'll recheck our radios, split into teams, and set up a rendezvous point and time."

"Sounds good."

"Can this place _get_ any _stranger_?" Naruto muttered just as they reached the foot of the hill, blocked off by trees – smaller than the ones that created the dome of branches a few miles above them, yet still at least sixteen-to-twenty feet high, "A forest _within_ a forest?"

"I think I'm starting to get used to all the weirdness…" Souta responded as they cautiously examined the darkened entryway – just over the canopies they could see the roof of the distant castle just over a mile away.

"Okay, it looks dense in there," Dai observed, "Everyone stick close and stay sharp."

Sakura nodded her head and unconsciously moved closer towards Naruto and Sasuke, following after Daisuke, Souta, and Isamu. Takeru, Akemi, and Akio followed after Team Kakashi and Raiden, Shin, and Kasumi took the very rear.

The kunoichi silently agreed with Naruto that it was strange that another forest was present within the forest that the larger, older trees made up. It only added to the surrealism of their new environment. The trees they traveled through _now_ were darkened by shadows as the beams of light, from before, _barely_ broke through the additional layer of foliage. The surrounding bark was grey and the leaves were withered – Sakura could swear some of them were completely covered with cobwebs. The air was still and the Leaf kunoichi _knew_ there was no present wildlife in the vicinity – not a squirrel, not an owl, not a single _living_ creature but silent, crawling insects in the underbrush.

"And it just keeps on getting creepier and creepier…" Naruto whispered softly, holding out a hand to slowly break a wall of thick webs from his path; his blonde brows were furrowed as royal blue eyes darted around warily.

"H-Hey," Souta stuttered as he held out his left hand behind him in a signal to stop while his right hand shot forward to grab the back of Dai's shirt, forcing him to halt, "…I saw something ahead."

Sakura bent her knees as her right hand reached into her thigh holster, gripping a kunai as her emerald eyes narrowed to see beyond the tangle of webs and branches in front of her.

"…Well…?" Akio whispered impatiently behind her, "What do you _see_?"

"…I-I…I can't tell…" Souta answered unsurely, Daisuke shifting slightly to glance over his shoulder at him, "…I could have _sworn_ I saw something. It was quick…But I can't find it again…" His chocolate eyes were sweeping rapidly across the area, searching.

"But _what_ did you see?" Akio tried again with impatient exasperation.

"I saw…" He frowned deeply, swallowing thick, "I saw a _face_."

"_What_?" Akemi squeaked softly, "A _face_?"

"Are you sure?" Dai asked, navy irises now flitting wildly around them, shoulders tensing exponentially.

"Where?" Raiden asked from the rear, voice also whispered but _firm_.

"I couldn't tell!" Souta responded lowly, frustration laced with his tone, "It was quick – maybe I was seeing things – but I could have sworn I saw a _face_. I saw wide eyes and a wide mouth. Around forty-five degrees west, probably ten feet up."

"I see it."

Sakura's eyes snapped towards Isamu, who flanked Dai's right side, opposite of Souta. His grey-blue eyes were transfixed in the general direction Souta shared, his mouth thinned and his body already moving forward to view, whatever he was seeing, much more clearly.

"Where?" Daisuke asked the Rain Ninja, "Is it dangerous?"

Isamu shook his head slowly, "No…" He blinked twice before the concentrated pinch of his brows morphed into that of confusion, "It's not even moving," He blinked twice more before his frown deepened, "Or rather..._they're_ not even moving."

"There's more than one?" Akemi yelped softly, moving herself closer to Akio's side.

"I think we should move forward," Sakura spoke up, Souta's eyes snapping towards her with a mixture of surprise and fear, "Standing around isn't going to do anything."

"And walking forward towards an attack will help?" Akemi murmured uncertainly.

"The unnatural chakra the _creatures _give off – it's scattered everywhere," Naruto stated softly, once more in his Sennin Mode, "It's completely covering the area ahead of us. But it's completely dormant – in stasis."

"What's that _mean_?" Akemi pressed anxiously.

"…It means they're asleep," Sasuke answered lowly. His dark eyes were trained ahead, hand gripping the hilt of his Kusanagi.

"Okay, talking about this is causing us to lose time," Dai breathed out heavily with obvious impatience, "We're going to move forward – but take it _slowly_. Let's keep aware and be ready for _anything_."

Sakura was in full agreement and she removed her kunai entirely as she followed Dai, Souta, and Isamu further into the maze of dead, web-covered trees. Their steps against the ground caused a crisp _crunch_ of dried leaves under their sandals – and the sound was piercing in the current silence. The kunoichi licked her lips as she swiped a web away from her face and felt her heart escalate when Dai, Souta, and Isamu suddenly stopped and crouched low, Dai's right hand waving frantically in a gesture for everyone else do the same.

Sakura dropped low, her right shoulder bumping against Sasuke's left as his Sharingan activated. Naruto's right hand fell on her knee to steady himself, features hardened with readiness. Behind her, the Leaf medic could hear everyone follow in their movements.

"Ahead," Dai directed lowly.

Emerald irises followed the Bird Chuunin's verbal direction. She held her breath once she comprehended just _what_ they had encountered.

"…Oh…my…Kami…" Akemi whispered breathlessly.

Bodies – strewn up and hanging amongst the branches. There was blood smeared across the rough bark and dripping in thick rivulets along the trunk, creating a thick, crimson puddle across the floor. Vines and cobwebs twisted along, and around, several bodies, suspending them in midair or tying them against the foliage in strange cocoons. They weren't moving but the picture they presented was terribly gruesome.

"…They're _Corpses_…" Raiden examined, "…_This_ is probably where they go when it's daylight."

"They're everywhere," Takeru muttered gruffly, "How do you suppose we get through this shit?"

"If they're asleep, then they shouldn't be a problem," Akio pointed out.

"We don't _know_ that," Akemi argued.

"We'll just have to avoid touching them; we can't risk waking them up," Dai reasoned as he slowly stood back to full height. He took a hesitant step forward and waved a hand to see if the gesture captured the enemies' attentions. When nothing happened – when no acknowledgement was shown by the _creatures_ – he let out a quick, decisive breath before moving forward with clear intent.

Sakura instantly felt her body grow hot with rising adrenaline as she stepped forward, following Daisuke's cautious steps, further into dangerous territory. Seeing the many bodies that they were willingly stepping towards – bodies that now surrounded them the deeper they ventured – their group of twelve could easily be ambushed, outnumbered, and _outmatched_ in an unsuspecting trap. Her muscles were coiled to uncomfortable levels as she felt sweat begin to form on the palms of her hands, leaving the grip on her kunai slippery.

No one dared to speak. No one dared to steer away with curiosity let alone stop to observe their strange, new location. Sakura didn't dare _breathe_ as she slid dangerously in-between two _Corpses_. She stared wide-eyed at the cob-webbed covered face of a woman, mouth opened in a silent scream, face smeared with dried blood, eyes white from rolling completely to the back of her head. Behind her, the bony fingers of an elderly male tangled with her pink tresses causing Sakura to gulp down a whimper as she hastily ducked away. Her steps were careful as she tried to avoid skulls and ribcages, brows furrowing as she recognized tufts of hair and severed limbs also scattered across the darkened terrain.

"H-How much further?" Akemi whispered shakily.

It was fifteen more minutes of meticulously weaving through the maze of cadavers, carefully stepping and avoiding the mutilated, gruesome obstacles while keeping as silent as possible. Sakura could feel the cobwebs accumulating on her own body, sticking to her hair, clothes, and sweat-slicked skin, probably housing insects that were now crawling all over her form.

"So many bodies…" Isamu muttered, his grey-blue eyes darting around as he took in the amassed numbers.

"It's pretty dark in here," Naruto observed, eyeing the thickened cobwebbed trees which prevented the intrusion of sunlight, "I'm surprised these things aren't moving around freely in here. I mean, do they really need to sleep?"

"_Please_ don't jinx it, Naruto-san," Akemi pleaded softly, skittering around a _Corpse_ dismembered of legs.

"I see the other side," Souta called out in a loud whisper.

The verbal observation caused the group of shinobi to move faster, anxious to reach a safer destination. When they were only yards away Sakura noticed with mounting relief that the _Corpse_ count was beginning to lessen in number and that moving through the final walls of trees and webs was much easier without having to avoid suspended, immobilized bodies.

"Finally!" Souta mumbled disconcertingly just as he ran beyond the final wall of the webbed forest. Everyone followed quickly, the same thoughts running through their minds. Akemi ran off to the side and upheaved, coughing up what little breakfast she ate as she shook her head from side to side, as if to rid the past few minutes' images from her mind. Kasumi quietly followed her and held her hair out of the way.

"This place is fucked up," Takeru growled, glaring heatedly at the forest they just emerged from.

"You know what this means, right?" Raiden observed, following the oldest ninja's gaze, "We can't be traveling through that at night – we won't survive if we do."

"We could have just flown over it," Akio thought aloud.

"We'll keep it in mind," Sakura agreed as she pulled cobwebs out of her hair and dusted dirt from her pants, "But I don't want to be using Summons in a place where living things don't seem to be present. Not one bird, not one rabbit – _nothing_ in sight since we got here."

"That's true, huh?" Souta finally realized.

"Alright," Daisuke called as he looked up at the branch-covered skies, "I can't pinpoint the sun's exact location but I'm guessing it's only an hour or two after noon. Sun's going to set in about six hours but because the skies are covered it's going to get dark inside the Twisted Valley much faster. So that'll leave us with about three hours of exploration – just to be safe."

"So we're splitting up?" Akemi questioned. Her face was pale from her earlier illness but the prospect of separating the group made her absolutely white.

"We'll cover more ground that way," Dai reasoned.

"Alright, if that's the case, let's do a radio check and ofuda count," Raiden declared.

Radio frequencies were tested and wards were evenly distributed. Sakura scrutinized her surroundings, emerald eyes instantly drawn to the ancient structure only a few hundred yards away from where they were standing. It was massive, primeval in design and seemed to groan with old age. Its shingles, walls, and gates were rusted from _centuries_ of neglect.

She was afraid of what might be inside.

"We want to keep all teams _balanced_," Shin stated smoothly, recapturing Sakura's wandering attention, "At least one medic, one Fire Jutsu user, and one Summons Contractor _or_ Chakra Armor User."

Raiden scanned the gathered group of shinobi, dark eyes critically assessing everyone before he furrowed his brows with decision and began directing with characteristic authority, "Alright, Team A will consist of Daisuke, Souta, and Isamu-san. Team B will consist of Kasumi, Naruto-san, and Takeru. Team C entails Shin, Akio, and Sasuke-san. And Team D will be Sakura-san, Akemi, and myself. I'm basing these teams on compatibility – no arguments; it's only until the day's end."

"We'll rendezvous at the castle's entrance in three hours," Dai informed, "From there, we'll find shelter to barricade ourselves in for the night. We don't know what it's like when night falls in this location, so it's only wise that we tough it out together."

"Team A will be scouting the surrounding area of the structure," Raiden continued, "Team B will explore the lake – I'm sure your Water Jutsu will prove useful there, Kasumi. Teams C and D will be checking out the interior of the castle."

"Is everyone in agreement, then?" Shin asked, connecting dark grey eyes with everyone else's varying expressions – some determined and others uncertain.

Nonetheless, everyone nodded.

"Alright," Raiden breathed as he gazed up at the foreboding structure which was struck by hundreds of beams of light from above, "If you come into conflict with _anything_, you _run_. You attain contact with anyone you can through the radio and you immediately get to safety. We don't want any heroes."

Sakura agreed wholeheartedly. This _place_ was not to be taken lightly. _At all_.

Her heart pounded as she took the first step forward.

Tonight, questions might _finally_ be answered. Tonight, survival was probably going to be difficult to sustain.

Tonight – she just _knew_ that they were going to experience _hell_.

* * *

**A/N:** HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! IT'S 2013! WHOOPEEEE! Hope you guys had a happy, happy holiday and an amazing New Year celebration! I apologize for making you wait so long for this chapter. _But_ I'm hoping to give you guys a present – the following chapter in **5-7 days**! This chapter was unfortunately a filler to the new setting of the story. I had to introduce this new and creepy place before going into the horrific adventure of exploring it – which is going to be _**next chapter**_! Yay!

I'm **super, super** glad that a lot of you liked the _Interlude_ chapter with Hinata, Sai, and Kakashi! I actually had a lot of fun writing up their characters and their respective reactions to the specific situation – _especially_ Sai!

Again, I do apologize for making you readers wait for this chapter. Life's been super busy – especially work – when it's Holiday time, but now that that's settling down, I have a lot more free time to type up some chapters. I've actually found some newfound motivation for **Forbidden Bonds** too. I've also decided that my biggest priorities after _this_ story are **Vengeance** and **Rehabilitation**…aaaaaand a couple of one-shots!

So, thank you again for all of your support as this story progresses, I _really really really really __**really**_ want to make this a **Completed Story**and your reviews and feedback are helping to make that into a reality. You are all the best!

I hope you liked this chapter and I will get the next installment out as soon as possible! I'm aiming for **5-7 days**!

P.S. How did you like the **SasuSaku**? Don't worry, more to come~!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto and Company. I own the Plot of _The Curse_ and its Original Characters.

**Next Chapter:** _Chapter Twenty-Five: Exploration_

**Next Update:** 5-7 Days!

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**_**(…hopefully…)**_  
_**Rehabilitation  
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Missing In Action  
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The Road of Touch; The Road To Feeling**_**  
A NEW STORY – **_**Confinement**_**  
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Len83  
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	25. Explorations

**The Curse**

_**Chapter Twenty-Five: Explorations**_

Sakura extended her right hand forward and tentatively allowed her fingertips to brush against the aged wood before her. The large, twenty-foot-tall doors were cool under her skin, its splintered and vine-coated surface exuding an air of ancient foreboding. The metal that held the lumber together had rusted into a deep and flaky vermillion. Curious, the medic rapped her knuckles against the wood and confirmed its heavy density when she heard solid, sturdy _thuds_. Tilting her head thoughtfully, Sakura then placed her bare palm against the timeworn exterior before applying increased pressure, pumping a small amount of chakra into her hand, testing the weight and resistance, and analyzing how much force she needed to utilize in order to open the locked entry without too much trouble.

After several moments, Sakura retracted her hand and sighed, stepping away from the castle doors with a scrutinizing stare.

"…Don't be afraid, Sakura…" She whispered to herself, "No more fear. Complete the mission."

Pink brows furrowed with sudden determination and Sakura took another few steps away from the ancient palace before spinning on her heels and kneeling down, decisively removing a scroll from her back pouch and unfurling it with a flourish.

Several yards away from her, the Leaf kunoichi could hear her companions going over strategies, rendezvous points, and back-up plans. Footsteps sounded beside her and she looked up briefly to see Sasuke and Naruto approaching. Their arrival didn't stop her from biting into her thumb and drawing out a myriad of characters against the parchment with her blood.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto called out curiously as he watched her begin to store some of the heavier equipment attached to her body into the scroll for safer and _lighter_ keeping, "You okay?"

She didn't answer. She removed a tantō from the Inventory Scroll and strapped it to her belt before extracting a number of medical supplies from her bag and consolidating it into a smaller pouch at her left hip – her large bag filled with additional medicinal reserves disappeared into the Inventory Scroll also.

"You look scary, Sakura-chan," Naruto hesitantly teased as he crouched down next to her, resting his elbows on his thighs while he balanced his weight on his toes.

Akemi, who was silently watching the exchange a few meters away, couldn't help but agree with Naruto. Sakura's emerald irises were _hard_ and steely as she mechanically made her load lighter and equipped herself with the bare necessities – a tantō, kunai and shuriken pouch, small medical pouch, and a senbon launcher strapped to her left forearm. All the heavier items had been stored away so that she wouldn't be hindered in the slightest.

"…The Fourth Ninja War…" Sakura finally said softly, "…That was the beginning…" She lifted her head and connected her gaze with both her teammates', "You remember, right? After Sasuke-kun joined our side in the War?"

"Yeah," Naruto grinned as he watched the medic roll up her scroll and stand up once again, prompting him to straighten up also, "Bastard helped me fight Madara."

"And _after_," Sakura continued, "When Obito escaped. There was another year of fighting. He recruited criminals and brainwashed civilians and _then_…that's when we actually had to fight _people_. Not reanimated corpses; not ninja who didn't feel the repercussions of our attacks – but _living_, _breathing_ _people_…"

"…I remember," Naruto whispered, staring down at his feet, "There was a lot of blood…A lot of death."

Sasuke remained silent, but his dark eyes were also clouded with memory, head turned away from his companions as a frown tugged at his lips.

A wry smirk crossed Sakura's lips, "That's when history penned us in their books. We were made generals of our own regiments to fight Obito's armies. We fought and we killed. Those were our orders. But we had our reasons too – for our country, for our Village, for our friends and families…for our _own_ survival even…"

"…Why are you talking about this, Sakura?" Sasuke questioned, his head still turned away from her but his obsidian irises regarding her intensely.

"…Fear," She finally answered, right hand absently brushing against her thigh holster, "That War was what made me the most afraid. Fighting against countless shinobi day after day – fighting _Obito_; healing wounds and injuries and failing to save so many lives – this went on for months and months. It tested us – tested _me_. And _this_…" She swept out her hand to indicate everything around her – _The Curse_, "…_This_ is making me feel those same emotions all over again."

Naruto managed a weak smile, "…It made you strong too. We _survived_ it, Sakura-chan. Hell, you and Sasuke are even in the ANBU Black Ops!"

"…I'm still afraid," Sakura admitted, "…I just need to control that fear – like I had to before, during the War. I've been allowing this mission to get personal because of these _creatures_' obsession with me. But now…" She reached into her pocket and removed her leather gloves, slipping them on with finality, "_Now_ I have to remember that I'm a kunoichi. I've killed people before. I've seen terrible things in my life and on other missions. I need to reign in on my strength and composure." She smirked again, "I can't promise any lack of tears – I _am_ the most emotional out of the three of us…" Sasuke and Naruto smirked, "But…I want to finish this mission. I want all this death to end."

Slowly, Naruto grinned before reaching out and resting a strong and secure hand on Sakura's shoulder, "We'll get it done, Sakura-chan." He laughed softly and winked, "Believe it."

Sasuke smirked, slanting his head in silent agreement as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Watching the exchange, Akemi blinked olive eyes and began to realize just how strong Team Kakashi was. Standing there, equipped in ready preparation with their Hidden Leaf headbands shining in the dim light, the Bird kunoichi could finally _see_ why their team was so well-known and _why,_ as _individuals,_ they were powerful in their own right. Uchiha Sasuke with his silent yet intimidating presence; Uzumaki Naruto with his courageous and optimistic attitude; and Haruno Sakura, with her stubborn yet selfless nature.

"No turning back," Sakura declared; her posture straighter and taller. The past few days it was noticed by others that Sakura's demeanor had been shadowed – her gait heavy with uncertainty, the stress of the unknown, and _The Curse_'s continuous, amounting puzzles. Now, it looked as if that wasn't the case for Sakura anymore.

Something had changed within the Leaf kunoichi. Her confidence and determination were more prominent in the clarity of her eyes and the strength of her stance.

If anything, it gave Suzuki Akemi a sense of renewed hope. If _anything_, she felt more secure and protected with the presence of Team Kakashi at her and her companions' sides.

"–will be scouting out the North, Kasumi, where the lake is," Raiden's deep voice stated a few feet away, "Daisuke, you and your team will be checking the East side and West side perimeter."

"We'll check the West side first," Dai responded as he used a thin stick to draw on the makeshift map they had created in the dirt.

"–still not working?" Akemi shifted her stare and found Isamu and Souta standing together, fiddling with their respective radio devices. The Rain Ninja's brows were furrowed with concern and Souta was outright scowling.

"Hello? Do you read?" Souta spoke into his microphone. A string of broken static sounded in Akemi's left ear as he tested it but she failed to hear the younger boy's voice break through.

"Nothing," Isamu sighed; he looked up at the covered skies, "Those branches are probably messing with the connection."

Akemi frowned. No means of communication between teams definitely put them all at a severe and _dangerous_ disadvantage.

Shin, who had also heard the unsuccessful attempt in patching through the wireless, eyed the device in the palm of his hand, "…It may be our position but we'll stay on the same frequency nonetheless – just in case. In light of this, everyone must know that in three hours' time, we will be rendezvousing _here_ – in front of the palace."

"And I might have Sennin Mode," Naruto cut in as he walked towards them, "But all the unnatural energy is congregated in this area and is a lot stronger than before. I don't know if I'll be able to differentiate any changes until it actually happens. So we'll need to keep aware."

Raiden nodded his head, "Duly noted, Naruto-san. Thank you."

Akemi watched Naruto grin before he walked off to join Souta and Isamu, ruffling the youngest ninja's hair as he passed by and earning a half-hearted protest as the boy pouted. She twisted her head to study Sakura and Sasuke, quirking a brow to see them standing close, speaking in low tones that she couldn't discern. Moments later, Akemi was watching Sakura trace an index finger around Sasuke's eyes –which he had closed – and the medic's brows were drawn as she spoke with an expression of warning. Looking a little more closely, Akemi could identify Sasuke becoming irritated – or was it exasperated? – as he answered her, prompting a scowling response from the pink-haired woman.

"–just don't risk it, okay?" Sakura half-snapped, half-pleaded, "Please? For me?"

Sasuke opened his eyes to fix her with a steady stare, "…Hn."

"Sasuke-kun!" She hissed, "You're so…_annoying_!"

Akemi then watched the kunoichi stomp off and begin to allow blue chakra to border her fists, reaching up to rip thick, twisting vines from the castle doors' hinges. Wordlessly, Sasuke followed, removing his Kusanagi and effortlessly cutting off the vines from the opposite door Sakura was working on.

"_You_'re the annoying one, Sakura," The Uchiha countered blandly. Akemi watched Sakura tense and her gloved hands fist tightly. To her surprise, Sasuke only shifted his head to shoot a lazy smirk towards the pink-haired medic, which further irritated the Leaf kunoichi more.

"I will _pound_ you into the ground, Uchiha," She threatened, her clenched fist rising.

"For you," Sasuke simply interrupted, turning his head away from her to remove the last of the vines attached to the taller fulcrum, "I won't risk it, then…For you."

Sakura froze, her fist loosened, and slowly she returned her threatening hand to her side. Akemi watched Sakura stare at Sasuke for several moments before her lips twitched upwards. The Uchiha had finished freeing the hinges from the twisting plants, sheathed his katana and solidly met her emerald gaze.

"…Good," Sakura finally responded softly, nodding her head with extra emphasis, "Good. I'm glad." She reached up and ripped the last of the plants tangled in the door's high axel before meeting Sasuke's intense look with a serious one of her own, "I want you alive, Sasuke-kun." She looked away and readjusted the tightness of her gloves, "I _need_ you…alive. Alright?"

Sasuke deliberately began to step towards her, "…It works both ways, Sakura."

The medic smiled warmly, "Righ–"

"How's that door looking, Sakura-san?"

Akemi found herself jerking with startle as her brother breezed by her right side, his olive eyes trained on the castle's doors. Behind her, she could hear everyone beginning to make final preparations in moving out towards their respective scouting territories.

'_Damn it, Akio,_' The Bird kunoichi seethed as she glared at her brother's back in annoyance, '_You just ruined a moment between Sakura-san and Sasuke-san!_'

However, the two Leaf shinobi had taken it in stride. Looking neither flustered nor irritated, Sakura began to explain the physics of her opening the entrance with her chakra-enhanced strength to her _frustratingly dense_ twin brother while Sasuke remained standing at her side, listening to her explanation and looking as apathetic as Akemi was used to him being.

"Be careful in there, Akemi-nee-chan."

The red-headed kunoichi twisted her head and spotted Souta waving a hand at her while Isamu gave a two-finger salute and Dai inclined his head in agreement. She blinked olive eyes in slow comprehension before noticing that they had shouldered their packs and were turned in a direction that led to the west side of the castle.

"Yeah, thanks," She murmured, seeing Naruto exchange words with Sasuke and Sakura in her peripherals before he joined Kasumi and Takeru, who were facing the path towards the lake, "You be careful too."

"Will do!" Souta grinned brightly, chocolate irises bright, and Akemi stared with a trace of anxiety as her teammates – her _friends_ – walked away once again. Her longtime fear, of watching their backs with the potential of never seeing them again resurfaced with a painful pull of her heart.

"Let's get some lanterns ready," Raiden stated a few feet away, waving a hand towards the packs that sat on the ground, beside Shin.

Pressing her lips tightly together, Akemi finally moved forward, her knees aching from having stood still for so long, and knelt beside one of the indicated bags, reaching in with purposeful fingers and feeling the cool brush of metal, from the lantern, against her skin.

"Don't be afraid, Akemi…" She echoed softly to herself, "No more fear. Complete the mission."

* * *

Sakura licked her dry lips as she curled and uncurled her fingers. Then she breathed in and out, deep and slow, staring at the wooden door ahead of her with a glint of challenge shining in her emerald eyes. She stepped forward with clear intent, spread her legs in a firm stance, and placed her palms flat against the surface of the aged obstruction. Then, with a quick exhalation of breath, she flexed her fingers once before allowing chakra to seamlessly travel up from her core, down into her arms, and, finally, throughout her hands, causing the limbs to glow a strong, bright blue. Furrowing her brows, Sakura began to add pressure, her muscles contracting as she pushed against the doors, unsurprisingly meeting resistance but continuing to add force to her blocked progression.

The hinges at her sides began to _creak_ and _whine_ with protest and she could distinctly hear the snapping of wood on the opposite side of the door – most likely a board that kept the entry sealed in place. Sakura, however, continued her careful pushing, taking her time and staying cautious as the doors began to groan even louder with protest.

_Crrrack. Crrrack. CRAACK!_

Suddenly, resistance subsided as a loud _snap_ of wood echoed, muffled by the doors' obstruction, and Sakura took a step forward, allowing her chakra to recede from her arms and hands while slowly pushing the now-unhindered entryway open with an eerie _creak_. As a fraction of the structure's interior became visible to her – which, unsurprisingly, was complete darkness and the heavy scent of dust – Sakura noticed that the splintered board, which had barred their initial, easier entrance, had been broken in half by her chakra-enhanced strength.

Emerald irises swept through the immediate vestibule, hands absently removing the messily broken boards attached to the interior-side of the doors, to prevent injury, and threw them off to the side. The wood clattered loudly, echoing inside the building in a manner that Sakura could only describe as _haunting_.

"See anything, Sakura-san?" Raiden asked from somewhere behind her.

Sakura inched a little more inside the building, her figure casting a slight shadow across the floor. She turned her head, green eyes flitting across the darkened expanse of the castle's interior with calculated wariness. The air was a little suffocating – _dusty_ from years of disuse – and it was all so disconcertingly quiet.

"Nothing," Sakura answered, her voice resonating inside the structure, bouncing spookily off the high walls, "It's dark," She blinked, looking up and around, finding rusted candelabras with waxy candles melted down into nothing, "I don't see any movement."

A sudden white-blue light entered her right peripheral vision and the door creaked open a little wider. She turned her head to find Sasuke, holding a chakra-powered lantern in his hand, and they shared a short, yet understanding, look before entering the building side-by-side. Their footsteps resounded against the olden floorboards which were soon joined by the sounds of Akemi's, Akio's, Shin's and Raiden's pursuit.

With her eyes adjusting to the darkness of the room, Sakura examined her surroundings critically. It was a massive vestibule with high ceilings and several doors lining the walls which undoubtedly led to even more room and halls – possibly similar in size. Recalling the moment she first set her sights on the ancient palace – standing at the peak of an elevated hill – she noted that the building was squared in shape.

The Medic looked to her right where an arching door was slightly opened – she could slightly see beyond where a long hallway lay. At her left was a similar – nearly identical – door that was shut, but she could only logically assume that it led to another long hallway also. The right door led to the East Wing, with hallways that circled – or rather _squared _– around. In other words, if Sakura entered the East Wing at her right, she'd follow a long hallway, make a left and follow another hallway, make another left into the North Wing and follow _that _hallway, then make _another_ left into the _West Wing_ and go down _that_ corridor, and then make a _final_ left which would eventually reach the end of the hall, which would enter back into the first room – where she originally started.

"It's…_enormous_…" Akemi whispered as her olive irises scanned the high ramparts, eyeing shredded, faded paintings and splintered frames scattered across the floors.

Sakura absently rubbed her nose, her eyes watering slightly from the surrounding dusts but her keen sense of smell also picking up the distinct scent of _death_. Ahead of her, Shin and Raiden were examining a large staircase that obviously led to additional levels and rooms.

"Do you sense anything unusual, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked as she knelt down, tracing a finger across the floor and examining the amount of dust and dirt the single digit picked up.

"No," The Uchiha answered, his Sharingan activated, red-black eyes flitting quickly around the room.

"Blood stains," Akemi noticed. Her voice was faint but the emptiness of the room caused her soft observation to resonate clearly. The younger kunoichi was standing off to the side, close to the opened door that led to the East Wing of the castle. Her olive eyes were trained intently on the floor, where crimson tracks were gruesomely painted.

"It leads upstairs too," Raiden commented thoughtfully, crouching down at the foot of the large stairway and examining scarlet splotches that led up to the darkness of the levels above.

"Then we'll split up," Shin stated as he raised his lantern, dark grey eyes studying the obscurity the staircase led to, "My team and I will check the upper floors."

Raiden nodded in agreement as he stood back up to full height and looked around, "Alright, then we'll check out the ground floor."

"_Radio check_," Akemi tested.

"…Still not working," Akio sighed.

Both Sakura and Sasuke frowned, sharing a brief look, and Raiden ran an aggravated hand through his shoulder-length white locks.

"That's going to make things a little difficult," His dark eyes narrowed on the floor before he breathed out heavily and connected his stern stare with everyone, "Stick close to your teams. We can't have _individuals_ getting lost in this place and without radio contact we're going to have to be _a lot_ more careful."

"Windows are scarce, so time will be hard to follow without the sun's presence also," Shin informed, "Keep aware of how long you have to explore."

"Shin's right," Raiden agreed, "Nothing stupid. Be smart about your decisions."

"Be careful, Sasuke-kun," Sakura whispered as she stepped away from him, emerald eyes holding his meaningfully.

"You too," The Uchiha answered seriously before walking off to join Shin at the staircase.

"Don't be a scaredy-cat, Akemi," Akio teased as he tugged one of his sister's pigtails. The kunoichi scowled before reaching up and yanking a lock of his shaggy bangs in retaliation, "Don't be a _moron_, Akio."

Sakura watched Shin, Sasuke, and Akio begin to ascend the stairway with slow and cautious steps before turning around to join Raiden and Akemi who were already peeking through the entranceway where the discovered blood trails led to.

"…I wonder where the throne room is," Akemi muttered as she stepped through the East Wing doorway, looking around the dark hallway with trepidation. She held up her lantern, the blue-white glow only stretching so far ahead of them – about five to six feet.

"It's most likely in the middle of the castle," Sakura offered, "Behind the staircase. There should be another entrance in the North Wing Hall."

"You seem to know your castles, Sakura-san," Raiden murmured, impressed.

The medical kunoichi shook her head, "I've been to the Fire Daimyo's Palace and I see similarities. The architecture was probably based off structures of the past, like this one."

_Creak_. _Creak_. _Creak_.

Akemi stiffened, lifting her lantern up even higher as she narrowed her olive eyes, trying to see beyond the darkness that lay ahead of her. Raiden and Sakura were already moving forward, cautious. The Bird Jounin was inching further ahead with wary steps and Sakura had quickly equipped a kunai in her right hand, her left arm extended in front of Akemi – gesturing a stance of protection.

"…The wind," Raiden finally deduced as he stood back to full height, "Expected. This building is old – it's common to hear strange noises. Come on; let's keep moving."

"…If you're sure…" Akemi whispered uncertainly before hesitantly continuing their journey down the darkened passageway.

* * *

Daisuke crouched low behind a large boulder, navy eyes peeking around it to view the forest line just yards away. He raised his right hand, two fingers up, before wagging it in a direction across from him. A dark shadow zipped by him in his right peripheral vision and his eyes slid towards it, nodding his head towards Souta, who was pressed against the trunk of a wide-set sapling. Daisuke's two fingers than became four and he curled it two times in quick succession prompting another shadow to speed by Souta and into a cluster of bushes a few meters ahead.

Silence followed for several moments before a quick, high whistle pierced the air. Upon hearing the signal, Dai took a deep breath before hastily rounding the corner of the boulder, running forward, and swiftly propping himself against a tree, right at the edge of the forest line.

His navy eyes caught Souta's chocolate, the younger peering around his hiding place and nodding his head in assurance. Isamu's blonde head was poking out from the bushes, blue-grey eyes trained on the entrance of the West Side Cobwebbed Forest.

"Souta," Dai whispered, and the younger boy inclined his head in a gesture that he heard, "Are you _sure_ you saw movement in this direction?"

"Positive," Souta called out quietly, his tone conveying offence, "I wouldn't _lie_!"

"I didn't say you _would_," Daisuke countered with an exasperated hiss.

"Maybe you were seeing things," Isamu offered as he scanned the tree line, finding only blackness and the unpleasant, sticky webbing from before.

"_Why_ does _everyone_ insist that I'm _seeing things_?" Souta growled with frustration.

Daisuke shook his head, ignoring his companions in favor of twisting his head to better view the forest line. As expected, all was still, all was silent, and nothing greeted him but shadows and the distinct white of webbing that clung to bark and branches. After several moments of searching the area and finding no changes of notice, Dai sighed loudly and pushed away from the trunk he was leaning against, returning his kunai to its holster.

"Well, whatever it was, it's gone," The Bird Chuunin stated; he watched Isamu stumble away from the bushes while Souta dejectedly detached himself from his own hiding place, "Nonetheless, let's keep aware – just in case whatever you saw decides to come back."

"…I _swear_…" Souta muttered as he began to walk away, in the direction they had come from. He briefly looked over his shoulder, "…I _swear_ I saw something, Dai-nii-san."

"Maybe it was a squirrel?" The Rain Ninja offered with a short shrug.

Souta shook his head while he scratched at his arm, "No. It was…_bigger_. A human? I don't know…But I saw _something_!"

"Alright, we'll keep alert," Dai encouraged, ruffling the younger boy's brown locks, "Let's check out the rest of the perimeter, okay?"

Souta waved away the hand in his hair before slumping off with annoyance, "Yeah, yeah."

Dai and Isamu exchanged a short glance, the former concerned and the latter dubious – then with hesitant looks behind them, the two followed Souta, both sharing the same exact thought…

'_Just _what _did Souta see…_?'

* * *

Naruto ran a hand through his messy, blonde spikes before shifting it down to the nape of his neck where he scratched at a bothersome itch. His royal blue eyes were trained ahead of him, staring unseeingly at the pebbled ground as he walked along the shoreline of the lake. The waters were still – _tranquil_ even – and it shined in an opaque-grey luminescence from the columns of light that broke through the crisscrossing roof of branches above.

Shifting his head to attain a better view of the lake, Naruto zeroed his sights on the lone island a few hundred yards away. It wasn't a very big island but he stared at the tall silhouette of the lone tree that occupied it, abundant with a canopy of leaves that were probably a vivid green if he ever managed a closer look at it.

"So weird," Naruto muttered as he turned his head away and panned it to the right. The rear of the castle was plainly visible to him and stood about a hundred yards from the lakeshore. He could see the various levels – _four_ total – indicated by the windows. Each floor had a long balcony that stretched across the whole north side of the palace. Maybe Sakura, Sasuke, or one of their teammates exploring the interior of the building might step out and see them…

If anything, they'd at least have a really nice view of the lake – which was probably about a half a mile long and a quarter of a mile wide.

Adjusting his sights yet again, Naruto looked further down the shoreline and found Kasumi standing at its edge. Her ice-blue eyes were drawn – solemn even – as she stared off at the isolated landmass across the waters. Her waist-long, wavy, platinum-blonde hair shifted in the wind and she absently moved it to one shoulder as she knelt down and dipped a hand into the lake.

"The waters are quite dark…" She noted softly as he came within feet of her. She gracefully stood back up with a sigh, "And cold."

Naruto didn't really know what to say and instead scanned the shore thoughtfully, noting several upright boulders and the beginning of shrubbery – or, perhaps, it had been a garden centuries ago? – right at the foot of the palace walls.

It was quiet. It was peaceful. It was…_nice_.

Naruto frowned deeply. That observation, _alone_, made it highly suspicious.

"Hey!"

Naruto returned his attention to the back end of the castle – particularly the area where the garden-turned-shrubs was located. Takeru was moving through the knee-high foliage, head bent in a searching manner as he swiped at the plants with his hands. The older shinobi looked up and waved his hand, gesturing to Kasumi that she join him. Ever since being put together on the same team, Takeru had made it his personal mission to ignore Naruto, pretending as if the blonde Leaf shinobi didn't exist.

Naruto wasn't going to let his behavior get to him – even if the scowl on his face betrayed the fact that he _was_ bothered.

Nonetheless, he followed Kasumi towards the grumbling male, just as curious as she was about what Takeru had possibly found. However, the closer he walked towards him the more Naruto could distinguish a dark trail emerging from the undergrowth where Takeru was moving about. It seemed the older ninja was trying to find where the tracks led to, lost among the foliage.

Brows furrowing, Naruto stepped up to the distinctive marks, taking note of its dark coloring and wet substance. And there were always _two_ sides to any trail – this trail had one end that led to the castle so the other end had to lead to…

"The lake," Kasumi finished, her conclusions having reached the same as Naruto's, "It originated from the lake."

"…What if it came from the castle?" Naruto pointed out.

"Or, here's a _better question_," Takeru grunted with irritation, "What the hell could _it_ be?"

Kasumi shook her head before wading into the undergrowth to help with Takeru's search, pulling aside verdure to better view the darkened trail which was leading more towards the aged walls of the palace. Naruto followed their progress for several moments before decidedly jabbing a thumb over his shoulder.

"I'll go check out the trail leading to the lake."

"Yeah," Takeru snorted grumpily, "Go make yourself useful."

Naruto felt his annoyance spike and he shut his mouth with a snap to prevent himself from saying something he was going to regret – an action Sakura vigorously instilled into his head during their not-so-distant youth. With an irritated sneer, Naruto turned away and headed for the lake, walking alongside the more prominent trail as he exited the patch of knee-high vegetation.

Walking alongside the dark trail Naruto was instantly reminded of the day he and Sasuke entered the Rain Border Village in search of Sakura, believing she had been captured. A shudder crawled up his spine when he remembered the trail ending with his best friend covered in blood – thankfully that blood hadn't been _hers_.

Gazing down at the blackened, wet tracks Naruto noticed the 'dragging' pattern that it created. Its dimensions could compare to a human body, like what the _Creature_ left behind, but it seemed a little larger than the trails he had seen before. When he reached the beginning of the lake's shoreline, the dark, and slightly crimson, tracks disappeared beneath the murky waters, leading somewhere unknown.

Royal blue eyes blinked down at the disappeared trail before raising his eyes to the skies. He frowned. It had only been an hour since they had started exploring the North side of the castle and the sun's light had already dimmed. If the _creatures_ moved easily in the _shadows_ rather than in complete nightfall, then their time limit might be shorter than they initially realized.

And while Naruto wasn't one known for retaining details he clearly remembered running from Iwagakure towards Earth Country's borders – borders that were guarded by _tall _mountains. It's one thing for the sun to descend behind the horizon and for sunlight to still be present in an open area – but it was another when there was a roof of branches overhead. Once that sun hid behind those precipices, there would be no salvation of light for a long time to come.

"Better work fast then," Naruto muttered as he concentrated chakra to the soles of his feet, taking a single step forward and watching the water ripple beneath him. With a resolute breath, Naruto steadily moved forward, walking over the lake and towards the single island at its middle. His royal blue eyes remained sharp for any clues he could come across.

Thousands of beams of sunlight rained down on him in spots of warmth.

It wouldn't be long before those thousands of lights would go out.

* * *

Sasuke carefully side-stepped down the hallway while sticking close to the left wall; his dark eyes remained narrowed as they flitted across the corridor, eyeing the splintered floors and the rusted candelabras that lined the ramparts. He reached a fractionally opened door and carefully placed his hand against the entryway, slowly adding pressure and revealing the interior of the space.

Dim sunlight entered his vision and spilled out into the hallway. Sasuke shouldered the rest of the entryway open before looking around cautiously. Like many of the rooms he had checked beforehand – especially those that were on the north side and faced the lake – the chamber was empty. Torn shoji doors were slightly slid open, leading to the outdoor veranda. Tatami mats were askew, some marked with tracks of blood.

Silently, Sasuke entered the room, eyes roving the empty space before peeking through the opened fraction of the shoji that led to the balcony. He could clearly see the lake and the dying, orange sunlight that glared off the water's surface. Below, distant figures were exploring the shore and he had no doubt it was Naruto and his assigned teammates. With a final passing surveillance of the outside, Sasuke stepped back into the room and out towards the hall, leaving the vacant chamber to check the next.

"Empty rooms and empty rooms," Akio muttered as he appeared out of a doorway across from Sasuke's. His olive eyes connected with the Uchiha's obsidian and he sighed before closing the door behind him.

Sasuke didn't respond, continuing his task of reconnaissance, sticking to the left side of the hall and finding room after room that looked just like the last – tatami mats and shoji doors leading to the veranda – all in ancient, neglected condition. Akio explored the right side of the hallway, checking rooms that were darker – covered in shadow without the convenience of windows – and dusty, littered with debris and broken furniture.

"I wonder where all the blood stains are coming from," Akio pondered aloud as he closed another door, inspecting a morbid smear of scarlet across the aged wood. He sighed once more before moving on, "This is _boring_. Not a bastard in sight. Where are our answers? What the hell does a castle have to do with _anything_ that's going on around here?"

Sasuke didn't like talking. He wasn't a conversationalist. But he listened to the boy's irritated grumbles as they continued to explore the empty halls, quietly agreeing with his observations. All that they had found since entering the Twisted Valley was a single, abandoned palace and a forest filled with dormant cadavers – cadavers which were going to come back to reanimated life with the sun's inevitable setting.

"This place is gigantic," Akio perceived as he looked around at the high ceilings where, they both knew, there were still more levels above, "I hope we find _something_."

The two shinobi had now reached a right turn in the hallway leading into the East Wing of the castle. They had discovered in the South Wing – where the Main Staircase had led them – that, at each corner of the structure, there was a smaller staircase; most likely for easier access. The Northwest Stairway had been blocked off, sealed tight, but the ninja had no reason to open it up. Now they were at the Northeast Stairway – its doors opened and leading to darkness beyond.

"Should we go up another floor?" Akio asked as he pointed one of his twin scythes in the stairway's direction.

_Creak_. _Creak_.

Sasuke and Akio immediately tensed; both automatically crouching low in defensive preparation. "What was that?" The red-headed ninja's whisper was hushed, olive eyes darting around with unease.

"Staircase," Sasuke murmured in response as he slid Kusanagi from its sheath, onyx eyes bleeding red. He jerked his head in a signal for Akio to flank the right side while he took the left. The teenager nodded once before following the Uchiha's silent instructions.

_Creak._

It sounded like footsteps, rising in elevation closer to their level. Sasuke's grip on his weapon tightened and he narrowed his spinning irises with readiness, a frown pulling at his lips.

_Step_. _Step_. _Step_.

"Here it comes…" Akio stated softly.

There was a shift of movement in the shadows. Sasuke altered his stance, electricity crawling up his blade; Akio crouched even lower, ready to pounce.

"I mean no harm."

Sasuke blinked and the figure obstructed by the shadows of the staircase stepped forward into the dim light of the high windows. His hands were up in surrender, grey eyes calm but his brows furrowed with concern.

Akio immediately straightened, "_Shin_! What the _hell_!"

Sasuke stood to full height also and sheathed his katana with an audible sigh.

"I apologize," Shin responded sincerely, "I was curious to see where these corner staircases might lead but it has been blocked off at the ground floor. I couldn't go any lower. But it leads to the upper levels without trouble if we're ready to explore the next floor."

Sasuke nodded his head, "There's nothing of importance on this level. Just empty rooms."

"Then we'll head upstairs," Shin decided.

"Hopefully we'll actually _find_ something of any interest," Akio groaned before he followed Shin back into the darkness of the Northeast Stairway.

Sasuke looked behind him at the empty corridor they had just traversed and inwardly sighed himself. Stepping after the red-headed teenager, Sasuke could only agree.

Time was quickly running out.

* * *

Sakura tilted her head as she lifted the lantern in her right hand higher. Her brows furrowed as she moved forward, examining the Throne Room doors intensely, reaching out her left hand to trace the crimson smudges that decorated the intricately-designed entryway. Her leather-covered fingertips outlined the shape with a deepening frown, her emerald irises flitting across the entire lower half of the doors where similar shapes, yet in different sizes, of the marks were painted.

"…A-Are those…_handprints_?" Akemi whispered incredulously, stepping up close to Sakura's side, "…_Bloody_ handprints…?"

The Leaf kunoichi only nodded her head, staring at the multitude of scarlet prints that had been pressed and smeared along the aged wood. Sliding a finger against a particularly small print – no larger than her palm – she noted that there was no residue, cementing the fact that the patterns had been there for quite some time.

Frowning, the Leaf kunoichi placed her hand over the print that was the size of her palm and experimentally pushed against the doors with judicious chakra-enhanced strength. She found a resistance that differed from the obstruction the Main Doors had exhibited before. _Something_ was blocking the doors' ability to open and it wasn't a measly board that Sakura could forcefully _crack_ apart like she did earlier. There was something heavy – debris or furniture, maybe? – and she didn't want to risk a forced entryway that could compromise the old building's structural support.

The gruesome handprints were making her wary enough already and Sakura felt it best that if they did explore the Throne Room, then they do it with the _entirety_ of the team. Not knowing what was on the other side was a safety hazard, and the more reinforcements they had for the exploration – the _better_.

"I don't like this place…" Akemi admitted, olive-green eyes examining the burgundy handprints with dread, "We should just…burn it down, or something…"

Sakura nodded her head; the idea had merit. But if _The Curse_ wasn't stopped with the burning of the castle then valuable evidence and answers would be destroyed also. _That_ couldn't be risked.

"So…what now?" Akemi inquired as she looked around. They were in the North Wing of the ground floor. Every room they passed and inspected had been empty. The only clue they had worth following was the gruesome trail of blood that was smeared heavily across the walls and floors.

"Over here!"

Sakura and Akemi twisted in order to gaze over their shoulders, following the white-blue light of Raiden's lantern a few yards away as he inspected a gaping entrance in the wall. Curious, the two kunoichi walked towards him as he studied the opening, right hand gripping the frame as he leaned forward and looked down and then up, above him. The closer they walked towards him the more Sakura realized that the particular entryway wasn't built with doors, since hinges weren't present. When she and Akemi finally stopped beside him, the medical kunoichi was surprised to find that it was actually a _vertical_ corridor.

"…An _elevator_…?" Akemi questioned as she grabbed the left-side frame and peered into the darkness.

"A traditional elevator," Raiden specified as he stepped back to stand beside Sakura, "Pulley-style. But – _unsurprisingly_ – it's broken."

"But…there's a lower level," Sakura realized aloud as she stepped forward. She gripped the frame to carefully gaze down into the mysterious, dark abyss.

Raiden smirked, "Exactly."

Akemi shivered as she looked over her shoulder to regard the white-haired male, "And I'm assuming you want to explore it…"

The Bird Jounin nodded, "Of course. Shin and his team are already exploring the higher levels. That leaves us with the ground and lower floors."

Akemi bit her bottom lip, "I don't know about this, Raiden."

"Just a quick check," He promised, "Let's get this done before the sun sets."

Sakura found herself nodding in agreement, her green eyes roving the darkness of the chute in search of the rope to the pulley but obviously finding nothing. She looked up and noticed that the higher part of the corridor was dark – the openings that led to the other levels were blocked off and disallowed light from breaking through.

"…How many floors do you think are below us?" Akemi asked as she watched Raiden begin to rummage through his pack, removing a hair tie and binding his shoulder-length white hair at the base of his neck.

"I'd be surprised if there were more than two," Sakura offered as she tied her own pink hair back before rechecking her pouches, "Considering the age of the building."

"Akemi, you start heading down first," Raiden suggested as he set his lantern at the left corner edge of the entrance. Sakura – to Akemi's silent astonishment – was continuing to equip her person: reloading her senbon launcher; slipping small, folded windmill shuriken into her right boot; twisting her tied up hair into a bun and stabbing it in place with a thin needle; even rolling back the long sleeve of her right arm and revealing a retractable wrist blade that she extended and withdrew in thoughtful experimentation.

Akemi suddenly paled once Raiden's words suddenly reached her in clear comprehension; her gaze switched between the Bird Jounin and the entrance to the elevator shaft beside her, "_Me_? Go first?"

"Just scope it out," Raiden answered distractedly as he readjusted his earpiece and the microphone attached to his collar, "I'll be right behind you."

Sakura reached into her back pocket and removed a glow stick, effortlessly cracking it at its center and shaking it to help the object gain its bright green and glowing color. Akemi watched the Leaf kunoichi toss the stick down the chute, green eyes watching the glowing item's descent for a few seconds before it clattered with an echo at the bottom.

"That's quite a long way," The Medic murmured, "…About forty feet; maybe more." She turned her head to regard Akemi, "Do you want me to go first?"

The Bird kunoichi bit her bottom lip uncertainly. Sakura was staring at her intently; her emerald irises were hard and her lips were thin and grim. The look on her face made Akemi shake her head. Sakura was taking this extremely serious and the red-headed teenager suddenly wanted to follow her example.

"No," She finally answered, "No, I can go first." She looked up at Sakura from under her lashes, "Just…be quick, okay? I don't want to be down there alone…"

Sakura nodded, a small, reassuring smile lifting her lips, "I promise."

With a short nod of encouragement to herself, Akemi walked to the elevator shaft's opening and took a seat, allowing her shins and feet to dangle off the edge. Briefly looking down at the dark chasm below her she exhaled deep and quick before spinning around and hanging off the threshold by the hold of her fingers. Then, with careful concentration, she channeled chakra into the soles of her feet and the pads of her hands – similar to what was needed for tree-walking and water-walking – and slowly began to climb down, as if on a ladder.

"Must stay calm…" Akemi whispered to herself, heart pounding loudly against her chest as she was further submerged in darkness. She looked up, olive eyes gleaming as she saw the white-blue glow of Raiden's lantern cast shadows of his and Sakura's movements. Then she looked down and eyed the glow stick that was still about thirty feet below her. "Must stay _calm_," She repeated softly.

"Doing okay, Akemi?" Raiden called, and her head snapped up to see him peering down at her.

"Y-Yeah," She answered shakily, "Just h-hurry up, will you?"

Breathing out slowly, Akemi continued her descent, staying cautious and taking her time, glancing down every few seconds to see if the glow stick below had gotten any closer. Another step was taken and when her left foot began to take the bulk of her weight so her right could reach lower her chakra suddenly stuttered and her left foot began to rapidly slide down the wall without the traction of her chakra. Her panicked yelp echoed in the vertical corridor before she slammed her palms against the wall, pumping as much chakra as she could into her hands to keep her attached and unmoving.

Sweat started to bead at her temples as she poured chakra into her still-slipping hands, olive eyes darting downwards to see she was still twenty feet up. Again, her feet slid and Akemi's fingers curled in an attempt to grab a foothold. Instead, her skin brushed against something that didn't feel like wood or rock – it felt familiar to her…_flimsy_ even.

"Akemi?" Sakura called out worriedly, "What happened? Are you okay?"

Akemi leaned forward, eyeing what was beneath her hands, so close, that her nose was brushing against the wall. The glowing stick's light below somewhat helping her discern just _what_ she was seeing.

"_Akemi_?"

"What's going on?" Raiden asked, also appearing beside Sakura after hearing her distressed calls; "Is everything alright?"

The red-haired kunoichi ignored them, leaning forward a little more before blinking in bewilderment, "…An _ofuda_?"

As if by trigger of her realizing whisper, the rectangular paper in front of her began to glow a bright purple. Akemi moved her head back in surprise and realized that the entire bottom portion she had reached in the elevator shaft was beginning to glow purple as well. _Hundreds_ of ofudas had activated and Akemi only had enough time to look up with fear into Sakura's widened – _stunned_ – emerald eyes before all the chakra was sucked out of her. She whimpered at the uncomfortable, static feeling surging throughout her body before her hold on the wall ceased and she began to fall to the physics of gravity.

"_Akemi_!"

Sakura could only watch in slow motion as Akemi was detached from the elevator shaft's side, robbed of all her chakra and unable to utilize the ability to stay safely connected to the wall's surface. Akemi's olive eyes were wide as they met Sakura's shocked emerald – her mouth was opened in a silent scream, right hand outstretched as if to grab something – _anything_ – but Sakura was too high up to save her. Her body fell, devoured by darkness as her shadowed silhouette covered the glow stick, below, from view.

"_Akemi_!"

The silence was deafening – it seemed to last for hours when it was only mere seconds.

_CRACK_!

"Oh my Kami," Sakura half-whispered, half-choked. Her emerald eyes darted around but the younger kunoichi's body had smothered the light of the glow stick. She turned to Raiden, whose dark eyes were wide, before he was quick to take action, already grabbing a rope and tying it around his waist, muttering to himself in a panicked frenzy.

"I'm going down there," He declared, already pushing the rope into her arms so she could provide leverage, "I have to go down there."

Sakura was already shaking her head, logic quickly taking the forefront of her mind, "You saw what happened, Raiden-san. Those ofudas–"

"–What the _fuck_ are ofudas doing in a place like this–?" He growled in interruption, running a gloved hand through his now-disheveled white hair.

"–You saw what they did!" Sakura continued as she took his shoulders into her petite hands to keep him in place, "Those ofudas _took_ her chakra. You go down there and you'll end up _just_ _like her_ – injured and defenseless!"

Raiden glared – the first display of anger she had ever seen from the calm and composed Jounin, "Are you suggesting we _leave her_?"

Sakura shook her head wildly, pink hair flying, "_No_! Of course not! But Raiden-san – _you_ don't have the skills to perform basic medical treatment _without chakra_. I am! So _I_ should go down there!"

Raiden growled, stepping away from the Leaf Medic and beginning to pace, "If those ofudas prevent us from freely going up and down that chute then you going down there will also mean you being _stuck_ down there. Our rope isn't long or strong enough to bring you both back up. And, _fuck,_ even if we gathered _all_ the rope in our possession, it _still_ wouldn't be long enough."

"Then we'll find a staircase," Sakura assured, "There's always a staircase. Remember, we saw one at the Southeast corner? We'll head for that – or _something_ – that'll get us back to the ground floor."

"_I_ should go," Raiden urged, his tone filled with guilt, "It's too dangerous for you two to be down there alone."

"Raiden-san, this isn't your fault," Sakura placated, "And I'm more suited with helping her than you are," She began to tie the rope in her hands around her waist before removing another glow stick from her back pouch, "You'll lower me as far as this rope will allow. Once I'm down there, you should try and find a staircase. If you can, try and get into radio contact with the others." She watched Raiden untie himself from the rope's other end as he nodded his head with accepted, albeit reluctant, agreement, "Because we're below ground level, the chances of Akemi and I getting in radio contact with you is nonexistent – but we'll try and check in nonetheless."

Raiden agreed with subdued silence before beginning to ready himself into a firmer stance. Sakura carefully edged herself off the side of the vertical corridor's opening.

"…Be careful down there," Raiden stated seriously just before her sight of him was blocked off by the wall with her increasing decline into the pit, "_Someone_ planted those ofudas."

Sakura nodded her head and carefully lowered herself even more.

Just before she reached the point where the ofudas would be activated, Sakura had the strongest urge to use a _Katon_ to burn it all. But, recalling the lessons she received from Daisuke, ofuda seals were very difficult to break once activated. They were even more difficult to break when they weren't _her_ seals – these ones, no doubt, specifically targeted her and her companions as _enemies_. She also didn't want to risk burning Akemi, especially in such a narrow passageway.

And even if she did reach the bottom and started ripping some of the seals off, there were still some much higher that she wouldn't be able to reach and would still prevent her from using any reserves that she probably needed.

"Damn it…" Sakura muttered softly.

Another step down and she was over the threshold of wards. Sakura watched the seals burn a bright purple, activating on all four sides of the shaft and temporarily blinding her. The hair on her body stood on end as a static-filled charge rushed through her system and caused her form to sag with brief weakness. She frowned; her muscles felt sluggish and she felt _heavy_ without the familiar and comforting feeling of chakra coursing through her. Shaking her head to rid her of the sudden onslaught of dizziness, the Leaf kunoichi continued another few feet before Raiden called out in warning.

"I'm out of rope!"

A feminine groan sounded below her and caused Sakura's heart to jump in her chest.

"Akemi?" She whispered worriedly, "I'm coming to get you. Hang in there!"

Sakura looked down; she reached for the glow stick she had stuffed into the collar of her shirt and threw it towards the side, relieved to find that it hadn't fallen on Akemi but allowed her a slight view of the younger kunoichi's outstretched left arm – which twitched slightly.

"How much farther do you need to go?" Raiden asked from above.

"About twenty-five more feet," She answered decidedly, silently wishing she had chakra to cushion her fall. She didn't want to accidentally land on Akemi either and risk further injury. With a grunt and a little more struggle, Sakura carefully untied the rope from her waist and used the extra few feet to gain more descent. Brows furrowed with grim determination, Sakura then held the rope in her left hand and lengthened the wrist blade hidden in her right sleeve. Switching the hold of the rope into her right hand, the medic reached down to her left thigh and removed a kunai. Finally, after taking a deep breath, she positioned herself to fall as close to the wall as possible – and let go.

With a grunt, the Leaf kunoichi stabbed her retractable blade and kunai knife into the wall, sparks flying as it bit roughly into rock and stone, though it helped slow her fall. Still, Sakura inwardly cursed as her right knee scraped painfully against the gravelly chute and she grit her teeth as her feet finally landed on the hard floor. Pain shot up her calves in waves and Sakura had to twist and fall on her knees to allow it reprieve from the sharp sensations. Hissing through her teeth, the pink-haired kunoichi willed her body to fight through the agony – especially with the additional weakness of her lacking chakra.

"Sakura-san?" Raiden called, "Sakura-san, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," She breathed, arms shaking as they supported her weight, "I'm okay."

Taking deep breaths, Sakura blinked twice before she reached over to pick up her discarded glow stick, re-holstering her kunai and retracting her arm blade before hurriedly crawling towards Akemi. The dimmed, green light in her tight grasp finally brought the red-headed teenager into better view.

To Sakura's surprise, the Bird kunoichi's eyes were half-lidded but aware. Sweat was causing her bangs to stick to her forehead, and her breaths were shallow – _controlled_ – as if she were completely focusing on the sole task of breathing…so she wouldn't have to think about anything else.

Like _pain_. Agonizing, unbearable _pain_.

Taking a deep, shaky breath, Sakura roved the glow stick along Akemi's body and sucked in a breath when she reached the teenager's lower half.

"…H-How bad is it, S-Sakura-san?" Akemi whispered shakily.

The Medic was already rummaging through her small, medical pouch, removing any and all necessary items that would help treat the young woman beside her.

"Is she okay, Sakura-san?" Raiden asked with clear worry.

"Her right leg is broken," Sakura answered strongly, looking around in the immediate area to find a sturdy piece of wood to use as a splint – but finding nothing, "Go find that staircase!"

"Understood," He responded hesitantly, "Remember – be careful!" Sakura didn't even look up to watch him disappear, his fading footsteps the only indication of his hasty departure.

"Broken…" Akemi repeated softly before a humorless chuckle fell past her pale lips, "Feels about right."

"It'd be an easy fix if I had chakra," Sakura muttered as she produced a roll of gauze and a small tub of cream from her pouch, "Until we reach the upper levels, you're going to have to fight through the pain." She looked around hastily as her brows steepened with frustration, "I need a splint, damn it." She patted her body and felt her hands brush along her tantō. Thinking quickly, she unsheathed the blade from her belt and set aside the scabbard for a makeshift injury-support.

"Sounds like I don't have a choice," Akemi stated before she turned her head, "J-Just…don't leave me alone…_please_?"

Sakura halted in her movements to connect her emerald irises with darkened olive. She nodded her head firmly and offered her a small smile before reaching out to squeeze the hand that rested on her stomach.

"Never."

Akemi smiled, grateful, before a wince twisted her expression and a suppressed whimper broke through the silence. Sakura immediately went back to work, eyeing the broken limb with a frown before taking a deep, readying breath.

"Your bone broke through the muscle and skin of your thigh," Sakura informed as gently as possible, watching Akemi's eyes widen with panic, "I'm going to splint it back into place but it's going to hurt. I want you to try to keep as quiet as possible, okay?"

Akemi blinked rapidly, allowing the information to sink into her head before she nodded in fearful acceptance. Sakura placed a handkerchief to her mouth which the teenager readily took between her teeth.

"Alright, on _three_…" Sakura readied, one hand holding her tantō's sheath while the other took a dollop of cream from a tub container, "One…Two…_Three_!"

Sakura smeared the white cream along the injury, hoping the healing and cooling properties would help with the pain. A muffled moan escaped Akemi and her leg jerked at the sensation. Then, with slippery, bloodied hands, Sakura took Akemi's thigh and pushed the bone back into place, pressing the improvised splint against the wound and tightly tying it all together and in place with gauze and tape. Akemi screamed into the cloth in her mouth, her body convulsing with pain as tears began to stream down her face from the unpleasant sensations.

"Almost done…Almost done…" Sakura chanted in hopeful reassurance for the younger girl, her hands sliding against skin as she continued to wrap tightly, watching as the white of the bandages became drenched with blood.

Once Sakura had finished the task of treating the injury she quickly crawled over and propped Akemi up, laying her head against her lap and comfortingly stroking her fingers through red, sweat-drenched tresses. She allowed the teenager to whimper into her stomach as she battled through the aftershocks of continuous pain, letting her fingers tightly grip her waist as an anchor to reality as tears soaked relentlessly into her pants.

"Amazing job, Akemi-chan," Sakura praised softly, relieved to find that her shaking and whimpers were steadily dying down.

When the Bird kunoichi's silent sobbing dissolved into quiet hiccups and sniffles, Sakura reached into her back pouch once more and removed several vials and containers. The first was a green paste, one that Sakura lightly smoothed over the bandages of her injury.

"W-What's that?"

"It'll help with the pain," Sakura answered before removing several herbs from a plastic ampoule, "This will help mask the scent of blood – not that I _want_ us to run into any _Corpses_ – but they can smell blood and I'd rather take this precautionary step." Akemi immediately nodded her agreement.

"And this is a painkiller," The Medic informed as she removed a tablet from another container, "We'll have to start moving soon to find an exit. You'll be able to travel around a little easier with this."

Akemi sat up a little straighter – flinching heavily from the movement – and took the blue pill from the older kunoichi, popping it into her mouth and swallowing it dry with a grimace.

"Take a few minutes to gather your bearings," Sakura stated as she stood up, "I don't want to rush you, but time isn't on our side…"

Akemi immediately understood the Leaf kunoichi's implications and nodded her head with comprehension, already willing her injuries to heal as fast as possible – though the pain continued to excruciatingly shoot throughout her body.

"…Don't force yourself either," Sakura pointed out softly, "The stress will cause more harm than help."

Akemi licked her dry lips before looking up, blinking at the darkness above with still-adjusting olive irises, "I just don't want to be down here anymore."

"We'll get out of here," The pink-haired medic assured as she took the glow stick and examined the ofuda-covered walls, staring at them with narrowed, critical eyes, "I just wish I had chakra." She reached out to touch one of the wards and was rewarded with a purple, electric shock. Sakura scowled as she pulled her hand away, glaring at the seal with irritation.

"…I wonder who put those there…" Akemi whispered.

"If I remember correctly what Dai-san taught me," Sakura began as she stared at the scattered papers, "It uses the same mechanics as the ones we use. And if I'm reading these characters right then these ofudas are _also_ filled with hundreds of ninjas' chakra. But, instead of exuding chakra to act as a defensive shield, these wards have been activated to do the opposite."

"What do you mean?"

"These are designed to function as an _overload_," Sakura answered, "Like an offensive attack. So many different chakras activated and coming into contact with an _individual_ – like it did to us – would disrupt our own flow and leave our reserves useless."

"So…we just need to get away from these seals, then?" Akemi questioned as she stared at the walls, "Then we'll get our chakra back?"

"That's the idea," Sakura answered but she was frowning, stepping towards the south wall and finding the obscure opening that led to the rest of the underground level, "But I have a feeling these seals are going to be all over this floor."

"Why?"

"Well, if someone put it in _this_ place, in a position that would leave anyone entering unable to climb back up to the ground floor…" Sakura thought aloud, "…then I think it's because…" She trailed off and Akemi leaned forward with growing trepidation.

"Because _what_, Sakura-san?" She asked in a whisper.

Sakura hesitated before turning her head to connect dark emerald with fearful olive, "…Then it's probably because they'd want whoever fell down here…to not come back out…"

Akemi's entire expression paled.

Seeing this, Sakura shrugged her shoulders half-heartedly, "Though it's all my own speculation."

"…You're very smart, Sakura-san," the Bird kunoichi responded with a short shake of her head, "Don't sugarcoat it for my sake. I'd rather be aware and afraid than be ignorant and dead."

Sakura blinked at her, her expression entirely unreadable to the injured kunoichi, before she turned back towards the exit, and stared out into the indiscernible darkness.

"Rest, Akemi-chan. We'll move on in ten minutes."

The teenager bit her lip as she brushed her bangs from her forehead, staring down at her wrapped leg with worry. Every little shift and stir caused the wound to throb painfully, and seeing the deep crimson staining the white of her bandages caused her to become a little lightheaded and dizzy. She inhaled deep and long to gain back a semblance of composure.

"No chakra…" Sakura began to mutter to herself, "That means we can't use a single Jutsu," Akemi watched the Leaf medic tap a finger against the wall; the resulting scowl suggested that Sakura had expected an outcome – probably for the wall to crack under her touch.

"And we can't use ofudas…" Sakura continued as she removed a ward from her back pocket, staring at it and not feeling an ounce of chakra within, "I hope these haven't been nullified by the ones in here…"

Sighing, Sakura pocketed the paper seal and picked her tantō up from the floor, unsheathed since the scabbard was being used to splint Akemi's broken bone.

"I want to get you back to the ground floor within the hour," The older woman stated, "I don't want to risk your leg being untreated for so long."

Akemi didn't respond but experimentally lifted up her thigh – the contraction of muscles caused her to hiss with pain and halt her efforts with a groan.

"I wish I had a lantern," Sakura growled as she shook the glow stick, "This isn't bright enough – or if I could use a Fire Jutsu…"

Not wanting to focus on the pain shooting up her thigh and throughout her entire body, Akemi decided to breathe in steady intervals as she settled all her attention on Sakura. The Leaf kunoichi was looking around, probably searching for any materials that could create a suitable fire or help, in some way, with their predicament.

The silence was suffocating – made her anxious – as Sakura rummaged around and Akemi sat motionless on the floor; she opened her mouth with a hesitation before curiosity won out, "…Can I ask you something, Sakura-san?"

The Leaf ninja stopped moving for a brief moment to regard her before continuing her activity of searching the space, "What's on your mind?"

Akemi licked her lips, heart thudding in her chest, "…Sasuke-san – his _Ameterasu_ technique. Why doesn't he use it? I've heard about his power; I _saw_ it that one night. So…" She trailed off and she noticed Sakura had stopped moving and was staring at the far wall, emerald irises clouded.

The red-head bit her lip, "Unless you don't want to–"

"You're familiar with the Fourth Ninja War, right Akemi-san?" Her interrupting question was low – eyes still unfocused.

Akemi nodded her head, "Yeah."

"Then you're aware that Sasuke-kun was once a traitor and fought on the side of the enemy," Sakura continued, "With Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Obito."

Again, Akemi nodded, "…Yeah."

"…When Sasuke-kun returned his loyalty to the Hidden Leaf he had helped Naruto defeat Uchiha Madara. Angry, Obito fled and went into hiding," Sakura's frown deepened, "For another year we fought in numerous battles – back and forth – until about a year and a half ago when Naruto and Sasuke-kun finally found and confronted Obito. It was a long and hard fight but they won – they beat him," Her brows furrowed steeply with memory, "But it came with consequences."

Akemi swallowed, watching the display of emotions play out on Sakura's countenance. Anger. Worry. Sadness. Acceptance.

"Sasuke-kun didn't leave the battle with Obito unscathed," The Leaf medic sighed softly, "Obito, in a final act of revenge, did something to Sasuke-kun's eyes. Tsunade-shishou and I discovered that Sasuke-kun's full potential of the Mangekyou was locked away. If he uses the Mangekyou form, at all, it greatly saps his strength and chakra to the point that it could be detrimental to his life," She exhaled heavily before finally connecting her steady gaze with Akemi's wide one, "Sasuke-kun's accepted it – calls it a consequence of his past actions," She grimaced and Akemi could only describe the sudden expression as _guilty_, "As his doctor, I've forbidden him from using unnecessary techniques like _Ameterasu_ and _Susanoo_ unless he absolutely _must_. His basic Sharingan form is unhindered but we don't know if overuse of a higher level of the doujutsu will affect him – it could cause blindness or the complete loss of his bloodline limit."

Akemi blinked. She had never realized the extent of Sasuke's power – even with his limitations. She hadn't fully realized what an integral part Team Kakashi played in the War. And the fact that when Sasuke _did_ use his Amaterasu, he had done it for the sake of saving his teammate – saving _Sakura_ – even when the action could have cost him his own life.

"He…he really cares about you…" Akemi whispered, wanting to say it out loud, remembering the brief exchange she had seen between the two Leaf ninja earlier in the day.

Sakura scowled lightly, "He's a stubborn ass," And then her lips pulled into a small, faint smile, "But he does. Team Kakashi's lucky to have him back – we're _happy_ to have him back. _I'm_ happy to have him back…Really happy."

Akemi smiled, enjoying the sight of Sakura's wistful smile, "I'm sure he'll be happy to have you back too. So…let's get out of here?"

The Bird kunoichi held out her hand – fought down the pain of her wounds with the strongest smile she could muster – and firmly grasped the appendage Sakura held out to her in ready response. Sakura's green eyes were still filled with worry but a smile also lifted her lips as she carefully helped Akemi up, slinging the Bird Chuunin's right arm over her shoulders and testing the weight the younger girl could put on her broken thigh.

"Yeah," Sakura agreed as she adjusted herself – glow stick and tantō in her right hand while her left arm curled helpfully around Akemi's waist, "Let's get out of here."

Pushing down her whimpers, leaning on the strength of Sakura's presence, Akemi took a limping step forward towards the darkness of the basement level, olive eyes hard and determined.

She refused to die in the underground levels of an abandoned palace. She refused to die at the whim of conveniently placed ofudas that caused her to fall from a fatal height. She refused to give up on hope.

She refused to give in to fear.

* * *

**A/N:** So I updated in time! Yay! New Year's Resolution is TOTALLY paying off! And the **next chapter will be even better!**Hope you got a little scared and paranoid! We're **JUST GETTING STARTED**!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto and Company. Only the Original Characters and Plot.

**Next Chapter:** _Chapter Twenty-Six: Hell_

**Next Update:** _**5-7 Days**_

Anyone been listening to **Super Junior-M**'s song _Break Down_? I'm so addicted, it was kind of hard writing horror with such a fun beat, lol. Same with **SNSD**'s _I Gotta Boy_.

**ANYWAYS!** HUGE FAVOR! I'd like to hear from you readers, I really want to know what's going on through your heads as you're reading this plot. Are you getting scared? What's your favorite part so far? What do you think is going to happen? Knowing these things will really help with the future of this story. There are so many favorites and alerts with this story and I'd like to hear from all of you – or at least the majority! I'm so curious about what you readers are thinking! And for those who **HAVE** been reviewing, thank you all so much from the bottom of my heart, I really appreciate your feedback since it really helps with my growth as a writer. So **please**, just a sentence or two to let me know what you're thinking and what you think might happen, how you feel about the **Original Characters**, or even constructive criticism? **I look forward to hearing from you!** THANK YOU!

And I really hope you liked the chapter! It was pretty suspenseful but it's a build-up of what's going to happen in the next chapter! Everyone's going to encounter _**something**_! BUT WHAT?

**Team Sakura – **heading into the darkness of the lower floors.

**Team Sasuke – **heading into the unknown of the upper floors.

**Team Naruto –** curious about the trail that was found leading towards the lake.

**Team Daisuke –** uncertain about being the only visitors in the Twisted Valley. What did Souta see?

Hope you stick around to find out! Thanks so much for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and alerting! _**YOU'RE ALL THE BEST**_!

**AND! **that last part about the Fourth Ninja War and Sasuke's limitations. It's the reason why he doesn't use his powerful techniques like _Amaterasu_ and _Susanoo_. PLOT HOLE AVERTED - ish. Haha. I thought it'd be important for you readers to know and it was a viable question for Akemi to ask since Uchiha Sasuke is so badass and whatnot. I mean, Naruto can't use Kurama for a reason, let's give a reason for Sasuke too! Hope it makes sense!

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**Twitter:** DreamCreateLove

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**~Len**


	26. Hell: Part I

**The Curse**

_**Chapter Twenty-Six: Hell (Part I)**_

Yoshida Souta clenched his jaw tightly as his fingers curled and uncurled – using the action to control his rising frustrations. He wanted so much to squeeze his hand into a solid fist before throwing it forward in aggravation. The violence of that simple act and the sweet contact of his attack would undoubtedly help release some of the built up anger that was piling up inside of him. Instead, he settled for cracking his knuckles as his scowl deepened, chocolate irises glaring at the figure suspended a few feet above him.

The young woman's eyes were closed and her pale lips were curved in a perpetual frown. Her ebony hair was caught in the branches of the tree she was tied against, white webs tangling in her eyelashes and winding thickly around her petite frame from the neck down. Her cheeks were drained of color and her left arm ended at the elbow, dried blood surrounding the wound.

Several other bodies were in the same condition at the start of the eastern side of the Cobwebbed Forest – as Isamu had so _creatively_ labeled it – quiet in their haunting necropolis, but the particular female cadaver had caught his attention. He stared at it with a mixture of emotions – anger, sadness, bitterness, and resolve.

"Hey," Movement was noticed in Souta's right peripheral vision but he didn't make a gesture of acknowledgement, "…You okay there, Souta?"

The Rain Ninja's deep baritone was laced with obvious concern. Isamu scratched a hand through his shoulder-length blonde hair as he examined Souta's surly disposition, switching his grey-blue gaze between the younger shinobi and the cadaver he wouldn't stop staring at.

"You're kind of creeping me out, kid," Isamu admitted, crossing his arms over his chest, "…Do you know her or something?"

Souta's brows furrowed upon hearing the question, "No, I don't…But _someone _did." His brown eyes suddenly darkened and a sneer curled his lips, "It's not fair. None of this is _fair_." His hands clenched tightly and his knuckles turned white with the pressure.

Isamu looked down at the boy, eyes softened with sympathy, "…You know, I haven't seen you smiling much lately – you're usually pretty cheery; the cheeriest of this bunch actually. I kind of miss it," His lips twisted thoughtfully; "This is really getting to you, isn't it?"

"Of course it is!" Souta snapped, finally shifting his head to glare at the taller male, "How can it _not_ get to me, Isamu-san? For the past couple of _years_ I've seen my teammates – my _friends_ – die one after the other because of this stupid _Curse_! And seeing _her_–" He pointed at the cadaver before shutting his eyes tight and shaking his head from side to side, "Seeing this girl…She just reminds me of my sister. She reminds me of what my sister will become when time finally runs out."

"Hey – you can't think like that, Souta," Isamu placated gently, wanting to lay an encouraging hand on the boy's shoulder but afraid that the action would produce unwelcomed results.

"What do _you_ know?" The Bird Chuunin responded harshly, spinning on his heel and stomping away, "You've got _nothing_ to lose."

Isamu could have retorted after the retreating boy – could have yelled out that his own life was on the line; that he wasn't obliged to help; and, yeah, maybe he didn't carry as heavy a burden as everyone else. But Takeshi Isamu wasn't that kind of man. He solemnly watched Souta kick a rock out of his way with a harsh grumble. Sighing, Isamu twisted his head to find Daisuke watching him, paused in the act of inspecting a few bodies.

"…I apologize for him," Dai finally expressed as he stood up, dusting stray webs from his clothing, "He–"

"He's a kid," Isamu shrugged lightly; "I get it. He's worried and he's upset; I won't fault him for it."

"And how are _you_ holding up?" Daisuke hesitantly inquired, walking along the tree line with Isamu beside him, his navy eyes still keeping aware of his surroundings and Souta, who walked a few yards ahead of them.

"Pretty well, all things considered," Isamu answered honestly, "You know, a lot of you might think that I stayed here for my mission. At first I only stayed with your group to help because I thought I would get some answers – and a part of me wanted to give back at least a little for saving me. I was wandering the forest for clues without the knowledge of what happened in the Tri-Point at night. If you guys hadn't shown up and taken me in…I would have been a dead man." He walked around a ribcage and a litter of other bones, hiding a grimace from his sharp features, "I could have left after a few days but the more I stayed and got to know you all the more I wanted to genuinely help. You're my friends…" He shrugged, as if the casual statement didn't hold weight, but Daisuke easily heard it in the tone of his voice, "So you can say, I guess I do have something to lose now. I have sixteen very strong reasons to stay and help," He laughed lightly before meeting Daisuke's confused expression, "Takeru-san and his sour behavior included."

Dai smiled, "We're lucky to have you, Isamu-san. Thanks."

Another chuckle escaped the Rain Ninja's lips, "So…about my payment and other fees concerning my extended amount of time with lending my services…"

Daisuke rolled his eyes in feigned-exasperation, a slight smirk tugging on his lips. He was about to respond with a witty comeback of his own when the area was suddenly plunged in darkness.

"The sun couldn't have set already," Isamu stated with heavy concern, looking up at the branch covered skies where light failed to shine through.

"…No," Dai shook his head, "Passing clouds."

_Rustle. Rustle._

Both Daisuke's and Isamu's heads snapped to their right side, towards the Cobwebbed Forest, narrowing their eyes with suspicion and any signs of the origination of the sudden noise.

"Souta!" Dai called out in a concerned whisper; wanting to know where the younger boy had gone, "Souta, where are you?"

"Over here!"

Light suddenly returned to the area and revealed Souta's distant form as he crouched beside a pile of bones. Isamu and Dai moved towards him, still wary of the strange noise they had heard just a minute prior, and stopped a foot away from their youngest companion. Souta reached out to touch, what looked like, a bloodied femur where blood stains and torn skin were still present. The particular area was _filled_ with the scattered, half-eaten remains.

"It's a feeding ground," Souta realized with dread and a hint of morbid fascination.

Isamu bent down to examine the bones, brows furrowing when he noticed that webs also covered the particular clearing, coating some bones and splotched with blood. He shifted his stare to examine a nearby corpse which was wrapped against a tree with similar webbing.

"…These aren't recent," The Rain Ninja noticed, "These bodies are more decayed than what we've witnessed from the _Corpses_; and their clothes – they came from Earth Country."

"It's spilling over the Borders," Daisuke stated with a deepening frown.

"Not only that," Isamu continued as he connected serious grey-blue eyes with his companions', "It's like these particular bodies have been stored for eating. And if these bodies are the _food_…then where are the _Corpses_ that are going to eat them?"

* * *

_Click_. _Click_. _Click_.

"Hello? _Hello_, can anyone hear me?"

_Click_. _Click_.

"Come on, damn it! Does anyone copy?"

_Skrzzzzzt._ _Skrzzzzt_.

The answering static caused Akiyama Raiden's frown to deepen. The chakra he pumped into his legs allowed him to fly through the lengthy corridors, dark eyes darting around with wariness as one hand held a lantern to light his way and the other curled tightly around the hilt of his broadsword, slicked with sweat as adrenaline pumped through his veins.

When he reached the turn of the hallway in the Northeast Passage he skidded to a halt, breathing heavily as he scanned the area with urgency before landing his sights on the set of doors at the end of the corridor. Locking his jaw, Raiden moved forward, sheathing his broadsword before reaching out to curl his hand around the rusted handle of the entryway.

He pulled and the _screech_ of the shifting iron echoed around him. His brows furrowed steeply when the action of opening the wooden door was met with resistance. Grunting, Raiden pulled even harder, muscles tightening with the amount of force that he utilized, his heart pounding loudly in his chest when positive results weren't gained. Setting down the lantern, the Bird Jounin used both hands; using as much chakra control he could attain to increase his strength.

"Come _on_," Raiden growled as he lifted his right foot to press against the frame for extra leverage, "_Open_, damn it!"

The rusted iron and old wood groaned with protest before giving in with a loud _crack_, the inner portion of the door breaking with the amount of vigor Raiden expended. Breathing out in relief, Raiden swung the door open and retrieved his lantern once again, cautiously moving forward into the darkness of the stairwell.

The blue-white glow illuminated the space and Raiden felt his body grow hot with panic and frustration.

"Damn it!" His curse echoed and he stepped further in, inspecting the obstruction that was a broken staircase and debris that disallowed him an easy route either up or down. He lifted his lantern to allow better lighting, searching the rubble of broken wood and rock to discern whether or not he could move it aside in some way to create a suitable passage. However, using a _Katon_ or shifting the slightest piece of wreckage could cause the precarious pile to collapse and make the situation worse.

He walked closer to the mound of destroyed lumber that blocked the stairway to the lower floors before peering up at the broken stairwell above, which was also congested with pieces of old furniture.

"Why would furniture be in a stairwell?" Raiden muttered with growing suspicion. He tried to look through the cracks that led towards the underground but only found darkness.

"Sakura-san?" He called, "Akemi? Are you there?"

When no response was given, Raiden sighed, running an aggravated hand through his white hair, before reluctantly stepping away from the northeast staircase and back into the main hallway.

"Can't go through there," He decided with growing irritation, "Alright, I got two more choices left." He recalled when he, Sakura, and Akemi had first stumbled upon the Southeast stairwell – the one Sakura had suggested he check before she willingly – _bravely_ – went underground to help Akemi. That _too_ had been blocked off completely, so much so that they could barely enter a few _feet_ into the space. They had initially believed that the stairway only led to upper levels – they weren't aware of the underground floor until they discovered the elevator chute. Decidedly, Raiden turned on his heel, intent on checking the northwest stairway – since it was closest to the elevator shaft – before his last and _final_ option – the southwest steps.

_Click_. He pressed into the radio device at his collar, "Hello? Does anyone hear me? Please respond!"

Pumping chakra into his legs, Raiden took off. His heart beat rapidly – painfully – in his chest, hearing the _crack_ of Akemi's fall echo in his ears without end. Leaving his comrades behind was the _last_ thing he wanted to do. He should have gone down to help, he should have waited to explore the lower levels, and he couldn't believe how quickly things had gone wrong.

He just had to get Akemi and Sakura back to the safety of the ground floor as soon as possible, _especially_ with Akemi's injury. He had to find a way to get to them…

…Before _something else_ did.

* * *

Naruto twisted his lips thoughtfully as he gazed up at the tree in front of him. It was a lot bigger now that he was right beside it, towering _at least_ seventy to eighty feet high; and its trunk was thick, with a fifteen foot radius. The canopies high above were full of green leaves, breezing with the wind's soft currents. At the base of the tree, its roots protruded slightly before digging deep within the dirt of the island that the massive foliage occupied.

"…So weird…" Naruto muttered as he eyed the rough bark before looking around suspiciously to find that the tree was the only thing that inhabited the landmass in the middle of the lake.

The area dimmed of light for several seconds and Naruto looked up at the natural roof of crisscrossing branches. Clouds had been passing by more frequently and, Naruto noticed, as the light returned once more, that the cracks above, where the sun's dying rays broke through, were now spotted in an orange-red glow that signaled the arrival of sunset.

"Uzumaki-san."

Naruto shifted his attention away from the tree to glance over his shoulder. Kasumi stood behind him, ice-blue eyes regarding him patiently before gracefully taking a step beside him to examine the tall foliage with silent curiosity.

She was always a quiet one – Naruto noticed. Ryou Kasumi was a peculiar presence. She wasn't one who spoke as freely or as comfortably as her teammates Raiden and Shin did. She was a silent yet strong presence that knew the right time to take action – as if working in the shadows, the support or pillar that provided guidance or aid when it was most needed.

Her demeanor, always so neutral that it almost came off as icy, was actually underlined with sadness – one that Naruto couldn't pinpoint the reason for.

"We followed the tracks," Kasumi finally said, her almond-shaped eyes still trained on the enormous tree, "They led to a small, underground compartment beside the castle." She turned to face him, her lips tugging downwards, "Takeru-san used his Earth Jutsu to open the chamber." Her frown deepened, "We found a boat."

Naruto's eyes widened, "A boat?"

Kasumi inclined her head in confirmation, "Yes, Naruto-san; a small, rowing boat." Her eyes sharpened, "I do not believe we are alone in this Valley."

"We should let the others know," Naruto responded, brows furrowing with contemplation, "If someone else is here…"

"Did you find any other clues?" The Bird kunoichi inquired, "Where the tracks led, perhaps?"

The Leaf shinobi shook his head, "Nothing. You think there's somewhere else around this lake that a boat could be docked?"

The platinum-blonde tucked a wavy strand of hair behind her right ear, "We should begin to head back to the rendezvous point. The sun is setting and everyone should be informed of our findings. I will see you at the shore."

Naruto nodded his head, "Yeah, okay, I'll be right there."

Then, Naruto calmly watched as Kasumi began to disintegrate into a puddle of water, her water clone's existence disappearing in seconds and leaving the Leaf Ninja alone once more.

With his keen sense of sight, Naruto scanned the surrounding lakeshore, searching for any evidence of a dock or an area that looked likely for a small boat to moor. Unfortunately, all Naruto found was an empty shoreline where more forestry began, leading into further darkness and obscurity. Even from his recollection of standing on the hill, where he and his comrades first discovered the palace, they had seen no other structures or noticeable locations worth investigating.

Sighing, Naruto gave one last sweep of the quiet lake before shoving his cold hands in his pant pockets and effortlessly molding chakra into the soles of his feet once more. He watched as the still waters rippled under his nin-sandals, stepping across the opaque surface with a contemplative frown before something on his jacket caught his attention.

Curiously, he removed his right hand from his pocket to pluck a particularly large piece of webbing from his left chest, which had caught on his zipper. It was dry on his fingertips, easily broken by the rough handling of his calloused hands but the more he looked at the white substance, the more he noticed that it had stuck to several other places on his body. Frowning, he began to brush the webbing off his form, watching as it caught on his hands before fluttering uselessly to the waters below.

Another cloud passed by overhead leaving the Twisted Valley in a temporary darkness.

Naruto froze. His heart pounded loudly in his ears as his hands remained aloft from his self-grooming. The webbing on his fingers fluttered in the wind before falling free, floating down to the same waters Naruto's eyes were completely transfixed on.

It wasn't until the webbing faintly rippled the lake's surface that Naruto blinked, staring down at the face that stared blankly up at him.

And – _no_ – it wasn't his reflection.

"…They're in the lake…" Naruto breathed.

Sunlight returned with the cloud's passing and Naruto could only watch as the waters beneath his feet returned to its shimmery, opaque-grey color.

"Uzumaki-san?"

Naruto looked up – noticed that he was about halfway to the lakeshore where Kasumi and Takeru waited. The former was looking concerned – rightfully so as Naruto's face had drained of color – and Takeru had his arms crossed over his chest, right foot tapping with obvious impatience.

"Are you going to just stand there all day?" Takeru grunted.

"…They're in the lake," Naruto repeated quietly and a sudden movement below him caused his eyes to widen before he gave out a shout of warning, "_RUN_!"

_SPLASH_!

"Uzumaki-san!"

A pale hand was now curled around his left ankle and long, dark hair was floating closer to the surface that caused Naruto's heart to constrict with fear. He only had enough time to meet his panicked royal blue with Kasumi's silently stunned features before he was forcefully dragged under, into the freezing darkness of the lake, and face-to-face with a blood-thirsty _Corpse_.

"UZUMAKI-SAN!"

* * *

Sasuke crouched down, brows furrowed as he ran a hand across the dusty floor, picking up a remnants of a slightly-dried trail of blood which were tracked along the floorboards. He frowned down at the smear of scarlet that had covered the tips of his index and middle fingers, staring down at it with quiet consideration. The light of the chakra-lantern Akio was holding provided little luminescence – as he was several meters ahead of the Uchiha – and left Sasuke to stand upright once more and follow after the teenager to gain better lighting.

"Why is it so bloody _dark_ up here?" Akio muttered as he moved around the hallway, opening up doors to a few rooms only to find boarded windows, and the shoji doors, that led to the veranda, blocked off by furniture. Some were even caved in from the above floor.

Sasuke wiped away the blood on his skin against his shirt with a grimace, looking around the darkened corridor with mounting wariness, onyx eyes darting to every shifting shadow and his measured steps echoing loudly in the silence.

"Let's get some light in here," Akio grinned as he set down his lantern and eyed a candelabra hanging on the wall, a few meters above the floor, "_Katon: Endan_."

Akio blew tiny fireballs along the hall, aiming for the golden candelabras lining the ramparts and effectively lighting them with what little candlewax remained. His olive eyes glittered triumphantly but he quickly set to work in examining the area, well-aware that the wax may not last long.

"Alright, let's hope this floor has got more answers than the previous ones," The boy stated determinedly as he ran a hand through his shaggy, red hair.

Sasuke nodded, moving further down the north hallway with cautious steps, following the continuously grisly tracks of crimson that seemed to be present on every level of the palace. He opened a wooden door on his right, the hinges giving a loud _creak_ before he gazed upon a dark room – the shoji, on the opposite side of the room, was torn, allowing occasional thin beams of dying sunlight to break through. The fact that those lights were very soft and did not illuminate the room, considering the amount of torn holes in the shoji, only solidified Sasuke's assumptions that their time was almost up.

"We'll need to leave soon to meet up with the others," Sasuke observed as he closed the door and resumed his walk down the hall alongside Akio.

The red-head groaned as he shook his shaggy bangs from his face, "I'd hate to meet back up with the others without anything to share with them."

"You sound like Sakura," Sasuke couldn't help but observe dully.

Akio shrugged his shoulders, swinging the deactivated chakra-lantern in his left hand, "Sakura-san's cool. I wouldn't mind sounding like her," He slanted his head to grin at the Uchiha, "But let's take a page out of your book, Sasuke-san – let's lay out what we know and what we don't know."

Sasuke raised a curious brow at the teen, watching as Akio carefully shouldered a door open, poked his head inside the room in careful examination, before pulling back out with a frustrated frown, right-hand fingers twitching restlessly against the chains of his scythes still strapped to his belt.

Akio's brows suddenly creased with thought, his right hand coming up to rub at his chin, "We've got an abandoned palace in the middle of nowhere and, so far, we've only found circumstantial evidence that has anything to do with _The Curse_ that resides here – that evidence being the creepy blood marks found in the interior of the castle _and_ the amassed amount of disturbing bodies littering the forest outside."

Sasuke quietly listened to Akio, agreeing with the boy's observations as he opened another door to another dark room, noticing with a deepening frown that the thin crack that the shoji door was opened only allowed diminishing orange-red light.

"All these floors have been pretty much empty," Akio continued, opening his own door on his side of the corridor before another annoyed sigh signaled his lack of useful findings, "And these blood tracks seem to be leading _nowhere_. I mean, _what_ made them? And what was its purpose to go bleeding around the entire palace?"

Sasuke's steps faltered slightly at his questions, dark eyes narrowing with thought as he stared at the hallway that lay ahead of them, lit by the orange glow of the low-wax candelabras, "…Perhaps these blood tracks are leading us into a trap."

Akio paused before switching his olive eyes back to the Uchiha, features hardened with suspicion, "You think so, Sasuke-san?"

"Possibly," Sasuke answered.

The response prompted Akio to tie the lantern back onto his belt and to equip his twin scythes into his possession, square jaw locked tightly as he looked at their environment with a more guarded stance.

"Alright, so there's _that_," Akio resumed, staring at the scarlet trails with eyes narrowed a fraction more than before, "What else? What about the _cobwebs_, Sasuke-san? Those had to have come from somewhere too. And why were those bodies tied up like they were? What's the point of that?" His lips twisted with even more thought, "I feel like this _is_ the place we have to be to find answers. It's just…" He exhaled heavily, "I hate to say it – but I don't think we're going to find anything of true value until the sun sets."

Sasuke didn't want to admit it, but he agreed completely with the boy. So far, in the past few hours of searching for any clues in the upper levels of the castle, he and his team had found nothing that could help them. When it came to _The Curse_, everything circled around the night, when the horrors began. Unless the others found anything of use, Sasuke and his team had nothing to share – except for Akio's own logical questions.

Sasuke peeked into an already-opened door, noticing grimly that the torn shoji was flickering with the light of passing clouds – the sun's rays much dimmer than before. He pulled back, connecting his gaze with Akio's.

"We need to start heading back," the Uchiha suggested lowly, already looking down the hallway from where they came, the lit candelabras allowing him to see much further than with a mere lantern, "Has Shin come around the west hall yet?"

"Not yet," Akio answered as he looked down the opposite end Sasuke was staring – there were still a few more yards left before they reached the very end of the north hall, where the northwest stairwell was located.

_Clank. Clank._

Akio straightened on high alert as the sudden sound echoed in the corridor, bouncing off the walls, and causing the teen to flinch uneasily. Sasuke immediately unsheathed his Kusanagi staring down the north hall that he and Akio just traversed, sights set on the darkness of the northeastern stairwell.

_Creak_. _Creak_. _Creak_.

"The hell," Akio cursed, before raising his armed hand up – irritated, "Shin, _is that you_?"

_Bang. Bang. Bang…Creak_.

"Shi–?" Sasuke immediately held up his hand to gesture silence, which Akio obliged with brows drawn in concern.

"Listen," Sasuke instructed softly, "…Do you hear it?"

Akio craned his neck in an act to better hear what was coming from down the hallway; in the act of doing so, movement in his left peripheral vision – behind him and Sasuke – caused his body to tense, already quick to point his scythe threateningly at the newcomer.

"Don't be alarmed," Shin whispered, lowering Akio's armed hand as Sasuke's eyes flitted towards them once he witnessed Akio's aggressive movement, "I just arrived from the west hall. Nothing to report but…" His dark grey eyes slid to where the ominous sounds were coming from, "I saw that you both seemed ready for battle and did not want to startle you…"

"There are strange sounds coming from the northeast stairwell," Akio informed, "Movement and…" His olive eyes shifted to Sasuke, "…and _breathing_."

"Then I believe our time has run out," Shin responded gravely, removing a katana from the obi of his kimono, taking cautious steps backwards, "We will have to head back to the main staircase if we want to outrun whatever decides to follow us. Worst case scenario – we take shelter in one of the rooms and we raise an ofuda-barrier."

"And what about the others?" Akio questioned.

"Let us worry about ourselves first," Shin replied just as the far candelabras, at the other end of the hall, blew out.

_Creak_. _Creak_.

The northeast staircase's opening was barely visible and for a mere moment, as Sasuke, Akio, and Shin waited with coiled muscles, and bated breaths, a pale hand slowly emerged from the darkness, reaching out before clawing at the ground, pulling forward just enough for a head of long, black hair to gradually emerge – and the next set of candelabras went out with a _whoosh_, plunging their view of the terrifying scene into darkness.

_Shrrrrrk_. _Shrrrrrk_. _Shrrrrrk_.

The movements were gaining speed and all three shinobi took a step back. Right at the edge of the fire-orange light, the pale hand emerged once more – but only brief enough until the next set of candles went out. Each time, down the long corridor, the timing would pick up, the sounds steadily gaining proximity and haste. It was halfway down the hallway that a pale hand didn't emerge – but instead, pale feet. She was standing now, her waist-length black hair covering her face as she walked disjointedly into further view…

…Until another set of lights went out.

The next time she walked into the edge of the firelight's range – she wasn't alone.

"What do we _do_?" Akio hissed, olive eyes counting the three additional figures that had appeared with the first.

"All the rooms we've checked so far have been empty," Sasuke observed as they all took another step back – they still had about forty more yards of distance to strategize, "Which means these things will be coming from the staircases. Akio – make sure the west corridor is empty. Shin and I will check the stairwell behind us to make sure it's safe to travel through. We need to get back to the ground floor and meet back with the others."

"I already checked all the stairwells during my scouting," Shin reported, "The northwest stair, behind us, is locked up tight – and very peculiar. The southwest stair, just down the next hall, leads to the higher levels, and it also reaches the ground floor."

"Then we'll run for the southwest stairs," Sasuke decided.

"Well, what the hell's wrong with the stairs behind us?" Akio questioned as the _Corpses_ ahead of them began to moan loudly, "What's so _peculiar_ about it?"

"When I tried to open it with the use of chakra, I couldn't utilize my reserves," Shin responded, "In fact, when coming within feet of the locked door, I felt my chakra system weaken exponentially."

"Serious?" Akio growled, heart jumping when he viewed a blood-stained mouth hidden behind thick strands of unkempt black hair.

"I count twenty _Corpses_," Sasuke stated, narrowed eyes flitting across the visible bodies ahead of him before another set of candelabras went out, "We'll need a distraction."

"Leave it to me," Akio promised, quickly hooking his scythes back onto his belt before executing a series of hand seals, "_Katon: Bokaheki no Jutsu_!"

The firelight from the remaining candelabras began to brighten before Akio threw out his arms and the _cackling_ orange light surged forward in respective streams, colliding right at the foot of the approaching hoard of _Corpses_, causing a unified cry of pain and outrage.

"Above!" Shin called out urgently, grabbing Akio's shoulder and pulling the teenager behind him, just as a crawling _Corpse _on the ceiling jumped down with a scream.

"_Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu_!" Sasuke's face lit with a bright, orange glow as a large fireball blew from his mouth and connected with the _Corpse_, sending her flying back with a scream.

"Go!" Shin ordered, holding out his katana threateningly as wind started to pick up and swirl around him. Akio was quick to run off, removing his chakra-lantern to help him better scout the west hall. Sasuke cautiously shuffled backwards, prepared to lend Shin help as the older shinobi crouched low, long black hair shifting with the sudden air currents.

"_Fuuton: Kaze no Suraisu_!" Shin cut his katana in a horizontal slash and the results were immediate. The _Corpse_, still suffering from Sasuke's attack, had slowly been getting up. However, when Shin called his jutsu and made his move, she was immediately knocked to the side with an invisible force – a giant gust of wind that caused her to break through the north wall and out of sight. Sasuke wouldn't be surprised if the body had even torn through the shoji and flew though the open air, outside of the structure.

"West hall is clear!" Akio shouted somewhere behind him, "Let's go!"

"_Katon: Gouryuuka no Jutsu_!" Sasuke shouted. The fire ball blazed brightly, sizzling forward and impacting violently against the first row of _Corpses,_ allowing time for him and Shin to turn around and follow Akio around the corner and down the west hall towards the stairwell at the end.

"You are certain that there are no adversaries at the southwest stair?" Shin questioned as he glanced behind – relieved to see no immediate followers.

"It was empty the first time I checked," Akio answered honestly, "No telling if it's been overrun since then."

When they reached the southwest stairwell the sounds of quick footsteps signaled the _Corpses_ pursuit behind them. Some cadavers were still burning, lighting their appearance at the end of the hall and enough warning for Shin and his team to pick up their pace. Swiftly but carefully, Shin edged forward towards the opened doorway of the staircase, its interior pitch-black. He leaned further in, brows furrowed as he strained to hear noises coming from below – but it was difficult with the loud moaning that was approaching.

"What's the matter?" Akio whispered impatiently, fidgeting from one foot to the other as he darted his olive eyes between his team leader and the oncoming _Corpses_ behind them.

Sasuke's Sharingan irises spun dangerously. He opened his mouth to order Akio to provide better light in the stairwell with his chakra-lantern –

– when two hands suddenly reached out from the darkness and latched tightly onto Shin's shoulders.

* * *

**A/N:** I'm SUPER SUPER SUPER SUPER SUPER SORRY FOR MAKING YOU WAIT FOR THIS CHAPTER! Even when I said 5-7 Days. So I want to thank you all for your patience and support and for all the feedback for the last chapter! I was so excited for **850 Reviews** and you guys really helped with the feedback by giving me **875 Reviews**! Thank you so much!

So I really hope you guys liked the chapter! I know, all of you are probably wondering when Sakura and Akemi are going to show up, but honestly, because there's so much going on and there are so many teams to follow, we're going to take these next couple of chapters a little bit slower so you can enjoy the ride that is _**Hell **_in this **3-4 Part **series. Also, I did get feedback that it is a little hard following so many characters especially in a long chapter, so, to help better understand and _retain information_, I need to cut these into parts. **Though, I will be honest** – when all the parts of _**Hell **_are published and updated, I'd advise you to read it all in _**one shot **_only because you'll understand the transitioning too – _especially_ during a second read through, when you're a little aware of what's already going on. _**Just something to keep in mind**_, haha.

So because you guys have been _**SUPER AMAZING**_, I will be updating within **4-5 Days**! Maybe **3 Days**? What do you guys think? When should I update? AND if you guys can give me some feedback on the suspense of this chapter and _what you think might happen_ with ANY OF THE TEAMS, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE LET ME KNOW! I'D REALLY LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

I'd like to know – **Who's your favorite OC Character?** I'm trying to give them all some spotlight so you can get a little more attached to them – and make them a little more believable. Next chapter will have some too. And will it be bad if I say that I have a mini crush on Isamu? lol I'm quite attached to his personality.

So again, **THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING, REVIEWING, FAVORITING, ALERTING, AND SUPPORTING THIS STORY! YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING! THANK YOU!**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto and Company. Only the Plot and OC Characters.

**Next Chapter: **_Chapter Twenty-Seven: Hell (Part II)_

**Next Update:** Within 4-5 Days

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**~Len**


	27. Hell: Part II

**The Curse**

_**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Hell (Part II)**_

Naruto couldn't breathe.

Or rather – he wasn't focusing on the act of breathing, even when his lungs were screaming for air against the pressure of water beginning to flood into his body.

Naruto could only hear his heart thunder in his chest, adrenaline shooting through his veins from the whirlwind of thoughts and amounting fears that bombarded him once he was dragged into the freezing depths of the water he had once been walking on.

Naruto_ couldn't_ breathe. His body was shutting down – shutting down into a behavior that was entirely primitive _instinct_.

His royal blue eyes were wide with utter panic as he stared into the blood-thirsty gaze of the _Corpse_ tightly gripping his arms. Her black hair haloed around her pale face. Her skin was cut and broken, her left cheekbone visible and her red-stained lips curled in a feral sneer. Her mouth opened, abnormally wide, looming over him in an attempt to bite his neck.

Naruto let self-preservation take the forefront of his mind. Skill wasn't necessary. Strategy wasn't available in the little time he had. Composure was thrown out of his mindset. All that mattered was _survival_. Naruto let out a scream of bubbles, flailing his body to remove the grip on him, and blindly grabbing a kunai from his pouch and stabbing at every which direction he could.

Fear drove him to stab at the _Corpse_ in front of him with no reservations, watching as dark blood spurted from the wounds and rose up in plumes in the water. So much so that all he could see were bubbles from his movements and dark red liquid. But the _Corpse_ didn't stop – the injuries he was producing did nothing to falter her as she moved forward intently and latched her mouth onto his right bicep, biting down with force that caused Naruto to scream in pain and for his bright red blood to mix into the liquid mess.

Naruto was normally an honorable opponent – he never fought in a way that humiliated his adversary or was deemed unfair or insulting. But with air slowly leaving his lungs and the pain of his arm shooting throughout his body, Naruto could only grab hold of the black hair in front of him and _pull_. His fingers tangled with the rough strands but it helped him gain leverage, lessening the force of her bite and allowing him the chance to plunge his kunai knife into her chest.

Just when he thought he had the opportunity to get away – to swim back up to the surface and to the safety of his comrades – a searing agony shot up his left ankle and he looked down to see another _Corpse_ viciously biting into his skin. He tried to kick, tried even more to flail, but his heart rate intensified when he realized just _how many_ _Corpses_ were surrounding him.

'_I'll be eaten alive…'_ Naruto thought fearfully, wildly removing another kunai and swinging his arm in the heavy density of water, hoping to make contact.

"_Fight it, brat_!" Kurama shouted urgently in his head.

'…_Can't_…' Naruto responded weakly as his consciousness began to darken the further he was dragged into the lowest depths of the lake.

"_NARUTO_!"

Naruto blinked sleepily as he watched the _Corpse_ in front of him open her mouth in a final attempt to feed off his neck. He had no more energy to fight. He had no more energy to stay awake. He waited as the sharpened teeth moved closer and closer while Kurama's desperate growls began to fade further and further away from his awareness.

_Roar_!

Naruto blinked curiously as the _Corpse_ attached to him was suddenly ripped forcefully away from him. He looked around sluggishly as all the other _Corpses_ around him were also propelled a few yards away before noticing that a strengthening current was circling around his body in a growing cyclone. A brief flash of white light drew Naruto's attention and he stared into a tiny diamond of ice that acted as an _eye_ to a water-dragon jutsu. It roared a final time before the currents increased in speed, pushing up against his body and quickly bringing him back to the lake's surface.

'_What the…?_'

_SPLASH_!

"_Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu_!"

Naruto coughed and coughed as water left his mouth, his vision blurry and wet as the cyclone of water flew into the air before veering off to the side. Disoriented, Naruto couldn't tell where he was being carried until the water around him dissipated and left him to fall roughly to the ground.

"Uzumaki-san!"

Gentle hands touched his left shoulder and Naruto involuntarily flinched upon the contact – his mindset still in the horrors of the lake.

"What's wrong with him?" Takeru asked a few feet away, "Get him up! We need to get out of here!"

"Uzumaki-san?" Kasumi questioned gently, though her tone was understandably laced with urgency, "Are you alright? Can you walk?"

Naruto flinched, coughing a few more times before sitting upright, blue eyes instantly drawn to his right bicep wound and the blood staining his left ankle. It seemed he was also bitten along his left thigh since deep crimson soaked heavily in that particular area of his pants.

"What happened in there, kid?" Takeru asked gruffly, flinty eyes trailed on the quiet waters of the lake.

"…_Corpses_," Naruto answered softly, wincing when Kasumi placed a healing hand on his ankle, "…There are _Corpses_ in the lake."

"You've got to be _shitting_ me," Takeru cursed brusquely, already removing a hand-axe from his belt.

"We need to leave," Kasumi instructed calmly, "We must meet back with the others and inform them of what we've found."

"How much time do we have left?" Naruto asked as he slowly got back to his feet, testing his weight on his now-healed ankle.

It was then that the orange-red glow that illuminated the Valley darkened. Naruto looked up, realizing that the darkness was not one caused by passing clouds.

The sun had set.

"Time's up," Takeru muttered cynically.

_Splash_…_Splash_…_Splash_

Naruto, Kasumi, and Takeru shifted their attentions towards the lake, watching with hitched breaths as numerous bodies began to disjointedly emerge from the water, slowly walking towards them, while others disturbingly crawled forward. One, Naruto recognized, as the cadaver that had pulled him under, his kunai still imbedded deeply in her chest. They came slowly, and surprisingly quiet, walking towards them with their decayed, wet skin yet with strong, blood-thirsty purpose.

"We can outrun them," Takeru suggested softly, stepping backwards.

"If the sun has set, then we're late getting back to everyone else," Kasumi shared logically.

"So, what's the plan?" Takeru hissed, his tone filled with urgency.

_CRASH_!

All three heads snapped behind them, towards the castle, shifting their gazes upward to follow the origination of the sound of snapping wood and tearing paper. They watched with stupor as a burning body moaned in agony as it fell from a third floor room, its orange-lit body slightly illuminating the palace walls at it descended before disappearing in the underbrush with a sickening _crack_.

"We go up there," Naruto decided, "Fire – someone set that _Corpse_ on fire. Our comrades are there."

"How do we know they're our comrades?" Takeru growled suspiciously.

"Who else would set that thing on fire and throw it out the window?" Naruto retorted impatiently, "It's better than taking our chances _alone_ with _them_!"

Kasumi was already nodding her head in agreement, "Alright, let's go."

Pouring chakra into their legs, the three took off towards the palace wall, distributing their reserves into the soles of their feet and the pads of their hands before jumping as high as they could and attaching themselves to the aged wood. Quickly, they began to scale the north side of the castle, climbing as fast as they could as the _Corpses_ groaned with rage, crowding at the base of the structure and reaching up towards them in vain.

When they reached the third floor – and the exact hole that the burning cadaver had come from – the three shinobi cautiously peered inside before quickly snapping their heads back into hiding.

"The floor is overrun," Takeru whispered harshly, "They're either _dead_ or they headed for another level."

Naruto bit his bottom lip before sliding his gaze upward, "We'll go up to the top floor."

"Why?" Takeru barked, exasperated, "We were supposed to meet everyone back at the south-side entrance. What's the point of going there?"

"Because the sun's _already_ set," Naruto argued logically, "They're not going to wait up front for us. They would have taken shelter _somewhere_. And considering the fact that we saw that burning _Corpse_ get thrown out this window just a few _minutes_ ago, we can safely assume that not all of our comrades made it to the south-side entrance on time either," He frowned, "Remember, the sun's light is different _here_ with that roof of branches above us – we were never certain when the sun was going to set!"

"…So why the top level, Naruto-san?" Kasumi asked when Takeru didn't have a rebuttal.

"Second Floor was overrun too when we climbed past it," Naruto explained, "Which means whichever team that was on the third floor didn't go running down to more _Corpse_-filled floors."

"And if the Fourth Level is filled with those damned things too?" Takeru growled.

"Then we'll head to the roof," Naruto responded, "Try and get radio contact. Or maybe just cross the roof to get to the south side."

"Agreed," Kasumi consented; though Takeru grumbled half-heartedly to himself.

Naruto took the initiative and led the team of three back to the veranda, scaling one more floor up and carefully pressing himself against a narrow wall between two shoji doors. Kasumi stayed closer to the edge of the balcony, crouched down, while Takeru took the opposite wall, hand-axe already firmly held in his grasp. With a short nod, Naruto edged closer to the shoji door and slowly slid it open, centimeter by centimeter.

Due to the darkness of the Valley, it was difficult to see beyond the crack of the opened shoji, but Naruto's keen sights allowed him to quickly ascertain shapes as his vision quickly adjusted to the poor lighting.

He opened the sliding door a little wider, "…Looks clear."

Quickly, he moved into the darkness of the room, stepping over tattered tatami mats and making his way to the door that led to the hallway. Cautiously he pulled it open, poking his head out to see that the corridors were eerily quiet, but empty.

"They haven't reached this floor yet," Naruto affirmed as he stepped back into the room and closed the door, "For now, we'll make this place a base of operations." He watched Kasumi removed an oil lantern and light it, illuminating the room in an orange glow. He looked around with the better lighting and noticed that their room was connected to three others – the shoji doors that separated them torn down and useless. One room was now turned into large narrow room that spanned half of the north hall, with four doors that led to the hall. He'd estimate about forty-five yards long, maybe eight or ten yards wide. A few shoji doors were still standing, closed enough to allow _some _privacy if someone needed it, but not shut all the way that they couldn't see into the area.

"Takeru, try and get in contact with the others on the radio," Naruto suggested, already scouting out the other attached rooms for safety, "Kasumi, we'll set up an ofuda-barrier from here," He pointed at one closed-off shoji behind him, "To all the way over there," And he pointed at the other end where the attached three rooms ended at another fully-closed shoji.

"Of course," Kasumi acquiesced, pulling the wards from her belt and quickly setting them around the four rooms.

_Click. Skrzzzzzt._ _Click_._ Skrzzzzt_.

"Damn it," Takeru cursed, "Radio frequency is shot to hell."

Naruto frowned. How were they going to get into contact with the others?

"_Fuuinjutsu: Yonjuu Kekkai_."

When the seals burned light blue around him, Naruto felt a sense of relief flood his body. However, the underlying concern and fear for his comrades was still present. Looking at the closed shoji doors that led to the veranda, Naruto noticed through the thin, paper partition that the light outside had dimmed into a dark blue.

Frowning, Naruto sat down and began to slowly gather natural energy. He concentrated, sifting through the different chakra signatures, scowling with difficulty since the ominous natural chakra covered the entire Valley. Carefully probing, he was drawn to a point at the opposite end of the castle – a signature he recognized as Sasuke's.

He opened his eyes, allowing the natural chakra to fade away. Takeru silently watched him from across the room, witnessing the strange orange marks around the blonde's eyes begin to disappear.

"So?" The oldest man asked expectantly.

"I sense Sasuke," Naruto murmured thoughtfully, "But it's not easy to maintain and search chakra signatures with the amount of _natural_ energy contained in this area. And without a radio working we won't be able to tell them where we are."

"Where are they?" Takeru asked.

"They're at the southwest side of the palace," Naruto answered, "Directly opposite of us." He flinched, remembering the pain of his right bicep and left thigh.

"Perhaps I can retrieve them," Kasumi offered as she gracefully sat beside Naruto and began to heal his right arm, "I can utilize the technique Haruno-san and Uchiha-san created. The chakra armor."

"It's a last resort technique," Takeru pointed out.

"I am certain we can all agree that getting into contact with our companions without radio devices constitutes this option as a last resort," Kasumi answered calmly.

The platinum-blonde kunoichi finished with Naruto's arm and moved on to his thigh, lightly pressing against the wound and beginning to distribute healing chakra. Takeru ran a hand through his slicked-back black hair, his facial scar looking even more vicious as he muttered to himself about other available options.

"…What's this?" Kasumi had finished healing the wound but her ice-blue eyes were still drawn to Naruto's thigh, her index finger lightly tracing along a thin protrusion from his pants.

"Huh?" Naruto patted his hand along the spot, brows furrowing as he crept his hand into the pocket before his fingers felt something small and cool touch his skin. Curiously, he pulled it out and brought it up to his face for closer viewing.

Kasumi's eyes widened with surprise, "That's…"

Naruto thoughtfully twisted the thin, silver whistle held between his index and thumb, "I forgot I had this thing…"

"…That's _Shin_'s whistle," Kasumi finally finished, blinking at the item.

"Yeah," Naruto shrugged, connecting his gaze with hers, "He gave it to me a few nights ago when I went for a walk near the Patrolling Facility. I guess I forgot to give it back to him." Naruto couldn't help his sheepish grin as he ran his free right hand against the back of his neck, "I hope it's not too important."

"You realize what that _is_, kid?" Takeru asked incredulously.

Naruto's grin faltered, "…A…whistle…?"

Kasumi smirked, tapping her index finger against the instrument's tip, "It's _Shin_'s whistle. Blowing _this_ will let him know where we are. He can _hear_ this. Only him. He can pinpoint our location once you blow it."

Naruto stared at the tiny object with widened blue eyes, "_Really_?"

"He must have _told_ you when he _gave_ it to you," Takeru replied with a long-suffering sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose, "What an idiot…"

"Oh," Naruto thought back to that point of time, rifling through his mental index. _"Just in case you run into trouble out there. Don't hesitate to use it."_ His eyes immediately brightened with realization, "Oh yeah!"

"Well, don't just sit there," Takeru growled, "_Use_ it!"

And with a determined nod and a furrow in his brow, Naruto brought the whistle to his lips and blew.

* * *

Isamu sat against the wall, the entrance to the palace at his direct left, which was left open from Team Shin's and Team Raiden's entering to explore and scout out the interior. Souta was sitting on the steps that led up to the front door, fiddling with a kunai as he sighed for the umpteenth time. Dai was pacing – an action the Rain ninja expected out of the Bird Chuunin – running a hand through his brown hair before darting navy eyes in the different directions their comrades were supposed to emerge from.

"Something's wrong…" Daisuke muttered as he paced five feet to the left and then five feet to the right, "They're late. Something's wrong…"

"…Stop pacing, Daisuke-nii-san," Souta grumbled with irritation.

Dai absently obeyed, but only to stand still and begin to fiddle with the radio attached to his collar.

_Click_. _Click_. "Hello? Does anyone copy?" _Click_. _Click_.

"I still can't hear you," Souta sighed.

Daisuke's navy eyes drifted to Isamu, who only gave an agreeing shrug to the youngest ninja's exasperated statement.

"Something's wrong," Dai repeated, "Raiden, Kasumi, _and_ Shin being late? Something's _wrong_."

"You're not helping," Souta groused.

"Well, we have a back-up plan, right?" Isamu spoke up, "We take shelter inside the palace – separated or together; as long as we're all safe."

"It doesn't erase the fact that they're _late_," Dai pointed out.

_Rustle_. _Rustle_.

Instantly, the three shinobi were on high alert. Isamu and Souta were sitting up straight and Daisuke's navy blue eyes had darted to the forest line a few yards away from them.

"Hey," Dai and Souta turned to Isamu, who was waving them over towards a large bush beside the stone steps, "Hide!"

"But–" Souta was interrupted as Dai grabbed his sleeve and pulled him along, guiding him into the dry, green-brown leaves of the large bush Isamu had indicated.

Together, the three ninja crouched in absolute and tense silence, peeking through the natural gaps that the bush's branches and leaves provided. They held their breath, listening as the distinct shuffling of foliage and the snapping of twigs and branches became more apparent and nearer to their location.

Suddenly, a dark shadow emerged somewhere from the east side trail. It towered at about eight feet tall, moving in eerie silence as it paused just at the foot of the steps, beady red eyes that counted at around ten or more panning its sights across the expanse of the area. Under it, three more forms in similar shapes emerged, though they only stood at about five feet.

"…Gross…" Isamu whispered before an involuntary shiver wracked his body, "…I hate spiders."

"They're _huge_," Souta commented softly, brown eyes wide with astonishment.

"I guess that explains the cobwebs," Daisuke indicated pensively, "But could _they_ be the cause of _The Curse_?"

"Hey, look," Souta directed, tugging on Isamu's sleeve while discreetly pointing his finger ahead, "On the second – or is it seventh – leg? See it?"

The large creature shifted, turning around and making odd _clicking_ noises that signaled the smaller spiders to disappear into the forest. Then, it began to languidly crawl away to the western trail that led to the lake, its leg flashing briefly with a red cloth, before it disappeared from the ninjas' views.

"A bandana?" Isamu inquired with confusion, before his grey-blue eyes widened with realization, "Could it be a Summons?"

"Looked too smart to be a _normal_ spider," Souta remarked.

"Alright, the sun is setting and no one has come back to the rendezvous point," Dai sighed as he carefully extracted himself from the large bush, "We'll head inside; especially if we have those creatures wandering the forests."

"So how do we go about finding everyone?" Souta asked as he was pulled out of the undergrowth by Isamu.

Daisuke shook his head as he led the team towards the palace doors. Cautiously, he peered inside before signaling the others to follow him into the dark vestibule, "I don't know."

The Rain ninja helpfully pulled out a chakra-lantern, effortlessly lighting the item with a burst of his reserves before holding it up to better view the room.

"So…which way?" Souta asked as he inspected their options: up the stairs to the higher levels, left, or right.

"I say…_left_," Isamu finally announced.

Souta turned towards him, one brow raised, "Why?"

Isamu shrugged his broad shoulders, "Gut feeling? And the blood trails leading up the stairs and down the right hall seem a little ominous. Don't you think?"

"Shouldn't we _follow_ those trails then?" Souta asked curiously, "Maybe the others followed them; or maybe it's our comrades' blood."

"Well, that's a morbid thing to think…" Isamu murmured, "And for argument's sake – it can't be our comrades' blood. It's too dark – which means it's old," Souta raised his brow higher; Isamu shrugged once again, "My sister's training to be a medic, so she taught me a couple of things. And if the others followed those trails, when they first came through, then what are the chances of finding them? They'll have probably moved on to other sections by now."

"Alright," Dai sighed, "We'll go left then. It's better than staying here."

Dai led the way towards the West Hall, pushing open the door slowly before giving the _'all clear'_ signal with a jerk of his wrist. Isamu and Souta quietly followed, one holding the lantern for light while the other gripped a kunai tightly in his hand. They looked around the dark, aged walls with wonder, amazed by the high ceilings and unsettled by the spooky atmosphere.

"…I didn't know you had a sister, Isamu-san," Souta spoke softly.

"Yeah, she's about Sakura-san's age," The Rain Jounin shared, a soft smile gracing his lips, "I've got an older brother too."

"Do they know you're out here?" Souta asked hesitantly.

Isamu bit his lower lip, "My older brother does. But my sister doesn't. If I had told her about it she would have forbidden me from taking the mission. And I can't say _no_ to her, so I decided not to tell her. Besides, she's been busy studying for her medical exams – I didn't want to worry her unnecessarily."

"…You have a family waiting for you," Souta whispered, "You stayed to help us. You took this mission with its high death-rate. Why?"

Isamu smirked, "It's all a part of being a ninja, Souta. My brother and sister understand the risks. Besides," He reached out to ruffle Souta's brown hair, "I have family _here_ that needs my help too."

Souta flushed under the low light of the lantern, a small smile creeping on his lips as he looked up at Isamu with gratitude.

"Ah, there's the smile," The Rain Ninja grinned triumphantly.

"You're so _weird_, Isamu-nii-san," Souta muttered, but his smile remained.

"Charming," Isamu corrected as he wagged his index finger, "I prefer, _charming_. Charismatic works too. Captivating, alluring," He bat his eyelashes, "_Enthralling_!"

"_Weird_," Souta decided with an amused grin.

"Oh, fine then," Isamu sighed.

"Guys," Daisuke had stopped walking, left hand lifted up for quiet, "Do you hear that?"

Isamu and Souta paused. Both reached for their weapons, craning their heads to better listen.

_Step-Step-Step-Step-Step_

Running.

The group of three had already reached the end of the southwest hall and the southwest stairwell was visible just a few yards away. They slowly crept towards it, listening as the footsteps gained volume with proximity. They stopped inching forward once they noticed a white-blue light start to extend and brighten along the floor, just around the corner into the West Hall.

_Huff-Huff-Huff-Huff-Huff_

Dai removed three kunai, positioning them in the gaps between his right-hand fingers, crouching down with readiness before a dark form darted into their vision, sliding to a halt in front of the southwest staircase.

Dai immediately straightened, "Raiden?"

The Bird Jounin whirled around, dark eyes instantly drawn to the three ninja in front of him before he stalked forward and grabbed Dai's sleeve, dragging him along towards the stairwell.

"We need to _hurry_," Raiden stated lowly, his white hair in slight disarray and his coal eyes spasmodic as they darted down the southwest hall, then the west hall, and then to the closed door leading to the stairs.

"What's going on?" Souta asked softly, "Are you okay?" He looked around worriedly, "Hey; weren't you teamed with Akemi-nee-chan and Sakura-nee-chan?"

"No time," Raiden growled as he pulled on the door, his muscles straining as he used all his strength before the entry splintered open with an echoing _crack_.

Raiden quickly entered the stairwell, his curse resonating in the narrowed space as he observed a caved-in set of steps. Before Daisuke could continue Souta's inquiries, a resounding moan bounced off the corridors and the white-haired Jounin was already pulling Dai, Souta, and Isamu into the stairway before closing the door behind them.

"We'll have to go upstairs," Raiden began to mumble, running a hand through his unkempt white locks as he glared at the broken steps that seemed to lead to an underground level, "Go upstairs and head back to the northwest staircase. When I checked the northwest steps it was locked and I wasn't able to use chakra to open it. But, if I can get into that staircase at a higher level, then I can probably backtrack to the underground."

"…_What_ are you talking about, Raiden?" Daisuke pressed urgently, "Where are Akemi and Sakura-san?"

"No time," Raiden repeated before running up the stairs towards the higher levels, leaving Daisuke and his team no other choice but to follow. Souta and Isamu shared a short look while Dai frowned, never having witnessed Raiden in a panicked state of mind. And the fact that Akemi and Sakura weren't present was enough reason for the Bird Chuunin to be immensely worried.

Once they reached the Second Floor, Raiden quickly pressed himself beside the door, signaling the others to stay back and remain quiet. They did as they were told, baffled and uncertain.

Slowly, Raiden gripped the rusted handle, inwardly relieved when it opened without difficulty. Cracking the door open a fraction, he peered carefully beyond and held a breath when a _Corpse_ staggeringly walked by. Sighing, he shut the door and caught the curious gazes of his comrades.

"What?" Souta whispered questioningly.

"_Corpses_," Raiden answered; he turned and began to ascend the steps again, "We need to go up another level."

As swiftly and silently as they could, they ran up the wooden steps, lit only by the low-beam bursts of Isamu's chakra-lantern. The closer they reached the Third Floor, the more alert Raiden felt, his eyesight catching movement at the already-opened entryway as well as low voices. It was when there were only a few steps left to climb that Watanabe Shin's head cautiously peered inside and Raiden collided into him, hands instinctually grasping the dark-haired man's shoulders for steady.

Several things happened at once. Souta yelped in surprise; Isamu and Daisuke called out his name; Shin's kunai was pressed threateningly against his left ribs; Akio called out Shin's name; and Sasuke's Kusanagi was held dangerously against his neck.

"Easy! _Easy_!" Isamu called out, lifting his lantern up higher so all faces could be seen.

"Raiden?" Shin whispered in surprise, his kunai immediately withdrawn from his comrade's side.

For the next few seconds, everyone began to gain back their bearings, taking in the situation as quickly as they could.

"…Sasuke-san," Isamu coughed uncomfortably, "You can, uh, remove your katana from Raiden-san's neck now."

Everyone turned to the Uchiha; Raiden's coal eyes slowly slid towards him too. Sasuke remained quiet, Sharingan spinning as the frown on his lips tugged lower.

"Sasuke-san?" Isamu tried again.

"You were teamed with Sakura," Sasuke stated lowly, "Where is she?"

"Yeah," Akio realized, looking around, "Where's Akemi?"

The questions caused a light of awareness to return to Raiden's dark irises. He immediately moved away and looked around, particularly down the West Hall, and noticed the approaching _Corpses_.

"Damn it," Raiden muttered, before turning on his heel and running back into the darkness of the stairwell, "We need to go another floor up."

Shin shared a look with Sasuke and Akio, noticing the angry scowls on their faces, "I am certain he will explain once we've found safer quarters. Come."

"I don't know what's wrong with him, Shin," Daisuke commented to the dark-haired Bird Jounin, "We found him that way too. We asked questions but he's not answering."

"I'm sure they're fine…" Isamu offered Akio and Sasuke; though his reassuring smile was a little weak.

When they reached the Third Floor, everyone was relieved to find that it was empty of any _Corpses_. They closed the door to the stairwell and blocked it off with whatever spare debris or furniture that was lying around. Easily enough, the ceiling had caved in just before the West Hall started, which provided debris – unfortunately, their path was blocked off to the northwest staircase, which meant they had to go around the entire palace to reach it.

"Wait," Shin whispered, "I hear…my whistle." He looked around, brows furrowed, "It's coming from the other side of the castle."

"On this floor?" Dai asked; Shin nodded, "Who has it?"

Shin blinked his dark grey eyes, "I believe I gave one of them to Naruto-san."

"Well, if they're on this floor, let's head after them," Souta suggested.

"Northwestern staircase," Raiden muttered as he began jogging down the South Hall, "Need to go _there_!"

"_Why_?" Daisuke questioned harshly, gripping a hand on Raiden's shoulder, "Why is it so important? And where are Akemi and Sakura-san?"

"They're…" Raiden grunted, brows furrowed, "They're underground and Akemi's _hurt_."

"Underground?" Souta yelped.

"How the hell is Akemi _hurt_?" Akio shouted angrily.

"Sakura-san went down there to help her," Raiden continued, "She was the only one who was capable to properly help her. But the ofudas sapped chakra so they weren't able to come back up to the ground floor. That's why I need a staircase that leads to the underground level – all the other ones are caved in and the northwest stair is the only chance I've got."

"Ofudas that sap chakra?" Isamu questioned.

"We saw Summons outside too," Souta piped in.

"What the _hell_ is going on?" Akio cursed.

"Quiet," Shin ordered just as the team turned the corner into the East Hall, "We need to regroup and re-strategize. Kasumi and her team are probably protected in a room down the North Hall. When we get there, we're going to sort everything out. Understood?"

"Uh, agreed," Isamu stated awkwardly, when only silence prevailed.

Sasuke remained quiet. His red eyes trained intently on Raiden's back. He respected the older shinobi and a part of him had no doubt that the Bird Jounin did all he could for Sakura and Akemi considering the situation. However, the fact remained that his teammate was missing. Beside him, Akio was scowling deeply, his hands clenched into tight fists at his sides.

Knowing that the Third Floor of the palace was overrun with _Corpses_ probably meant that it wouldn't be long before the entire castle was filled with reanimated cadavers.

And knowing that Sakura and an injured Akemi were stuck in the middle of it – alone and in the darkness of the lower levels – Sasuke couldn't help but let his anger spike.

Once he reached Naruto, he had no reservations taking the blonde by the collar and dragging him off to the northwestern stairwell. Once the blue-eyed boy knew what was going on, he would definitely make no protest in helping him find Sakura.

They were Team Kakashi – and they would _never_ leave a teammate behind.

* * *

**A/N:** I'm sorry, I know, a short chapter and a late chapter, I apologize. Life caught up with me again and I got a little overwhelmed. Plus, I was working on a new project which includes a **Surprise** for you readers. Just go to the link below and I really hope wherever it leads will help you understand and follow the story a lot better! And since it leads to a Blog, feel free to follow, I'll be posting a lot of stories and other interests on there that range from anime, writing, and books to movies, music, make-up, food, and other personal adventures.

If you have any questions, feel free to review or PM me. **AND I PROMISE - SAKURA AND AKEMI WILL BE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! _You guys should get a pillow or blanket ready, muahahahahaha!_**

**Type in your URL: **sincerelylen . wordpress . com (without the spaces) and click on **The Curse** Tab on top, where you will be directed to another page. On that page you will click on **Original Character ****Profiles (The Curse). _ENJOY!_  
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**OH YEAH** I _did_ change my name from _**Len83** _to_ **sincerelyLen,**_just in case you're confused, haha.

Please let me know what you guys think and thank you so much for your continued support!

**Next Chapter: _Chapter Twenty-Eight: Hell (Part III)_**

**Next Update: **_7-10 Days_

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**~Len**


	28. Hell: Part III

**The Curse**

_**Chapter Twenty-Eight: Hell (Part III)**_

Naruto's jaw locked tightly as he glared narrowed, royal blue eyes at the floor, his hands clenching into two, tightly curled, fists. His brows drew together steeply as he distantly listened to his comrades share information from their respective exploits and he couldn't help but notice how divided their group had become. A sense of discord had erupted once all their knowledge and experiences of the situation were shared and, within minutes, there were shouts being thrown around about different theories, accusations being made between each other, and the growing unease that there were still _two_ ninja missing from their unit.

"For clarification's sake, let's list out what we _know_," Isamu stated loudly above everyone else, hands held up in a gesture for silence. He was standing with Naruto, Sasuke, Akio, and Raiden – the group who most wanted to get the meeting done with as fast as possible so they could resume their search for Sakura and Akemi, "My team pretty much found collected bodies in webs and giant _spiders_ that could very well be Summons," He pointed a hand towards Kasumi, "Kasumi-san and her team found a _lake_ full of _Corpses_ and a single rowing boat – which is pretty damn suspicious, if you ask me." He swept a hand towards Shin, "Your team…didn't really find anything but empty rooms, right?" Shin nodded in affirmation and Isamu moved his sights to Raiden, who was standing impatiently by one of the doors, "And Raiden-san's team found an elevator shaft that led to lower levels – which actually housed a crazy amount of ofudas that sucks the chakra out of anyone within the vicinity." Raiden nodded his head once in acknowledgment, fists tightening even more at his sides, "Which brings us to the fact that Akemi-chan is _injured_ and accompanied by Sakura-san – both of whom are trying to find a way _out_ of the underground level."

"…We need to find her," Naruto muttered, his voice gruff with worry, "We need to find them both."

Sasuke stood a few feet away, his crimson irises tracking his teammate's restless movements – clenching and unclenching his fingers and shifting uneasily from one foot to the other. He also noticed the blood splotches decorating Naruto's right arm and left leg but didn't comment.

"We must consider the facts," Shin stated as he stared intently at the tatami floors, brows furrowed with contemplation, "Kasumi-san and her team found a _boat_. Daisuke and his team found several spider _Summons_. And Raiden witnessed the use of _ofudas_ that weren't our own. I believe everyone will agree that we are not alone in this Valley. This may be a _curse_ on our hands but, maybe, it's also being manipulated by a single person or a group of people. Incidentally, this possibility is a lot more plausible than our initial belief of this being a supernatural occurrence."

"And what if it's not some random person?" Takeru questioned with challenge, "What if it's _one of us_?"

Shin's grey eyes immediately sharpened with warning, "Takeru-san…"

"What?" The oldest ninja defied stubbornly as he pushed off the wall he had been leaning against to sweep an arm across the room, "_What_, Shin? We need to look at _all_ the angles, right? What if one of us is the culprit? What if it's one of those _outsiders_?" He pointed a condemning finger towards Sasuke, Naruto, and Isamu – all three glaring with offense.

"You can't just go accusing anyone without viable evidence, Takeru," Daisuke reprimanded, "If you haven't noticed, everyone here has _lost_ someone to _The Curse_. And Naruto-san and the others are here to _help_ us. What reason would they have to kill hundreds of people? Besides, this has been going on for _ten years_!"

"What about the ofudas then?" Takeru retorted, eyes blazing, "Why the hell are they _here_? How the _fuck_ is it possible that they're plastered on the walls of the underground? We've needed _hundreds_ of ninjas' chakra to make those wards! Is it coincidence that we find ofudas that drain chakra – which use the _same _mechanics as ours? And didn't we _just_ hear from _you_, Dai, no less, that we've been missing seals from our own batches? What if it's that brat, Keitaro, who's supposed to be handling all the business in the Capitol?"

"That's uncalled for, Takeru," Dai growled, "You _know_ he was a kid when it all started; he was _there_ the night Aneko-nee-chan died!"

"That's my _brother_ you're talking about," Raiden stated menacingly, dark eyes narrowed.

"Maybe it's _you,_ then, Raiden," Takeru sneered, "_He's_ your connection. What do we know? Maybe you _pushed_ Akemi and Haruno down that shaft and you've spun lies so you wouldn't be–"

"That's _enough_!" Shin declared firmly, narrowing dark grey irises on Takeru who glared just as heatedly back before turning away with a furious scoff.

"We're wasting our time bickering," Sasuke stated darkly, "Sakura and Akemi are still missing. We need to find them, especially with the threat of our enemies now that night has fallen."

"So what the hell are we waiting for?" Akio muttered, knuckles white as he gripped his twin scythes.

"It's only been a few minutes since we've met up and it won't be long before the _Corpses_ take this floor too," Isamu pointed out.

Sasuke nodded, already unsheathing his Kusanagi as he began to walk towards the exit, "Then we should go."

Naruto's features immediately hardened upon the suggestion, jerking his head in agreement before purposefully striding across the room to join the Uchiha in leaving. Akio and Isamu readily followed.

Unfortunately, two forms swiftly blocked their path.

Naruto's royal blue eyes narrowed intensely – _darkened_ warningly even; "I like you both; really, I do," Naruto confessed – his tone was low and measured, "But you need to get out of our way. _Now_."

"We need to think about this rationally, Uzumaki-san," Kasumi placated evenly, her ice-blue eyes softened with empathy.

"_Screw_ rationality," Naruto sneered angrily, taking a step forward with teeth bared, "Sakura-chan is _missing_. If you don't let us through then I'll _force_ our way through," His eyes flashed red, "Believe it."

Sasuke took a step to stand beside Naruto, his Sharingan spinning, "Move."

"We will," Shin remarked calmly, standing just as firmly beside Kasumi, unfaltering under the two Leaf ninjas' penetrating gazes, "Once we've established a sound strategy. Going out there without a plan is unwise."

"There's no time to plan!" Akio scowled, "Sakura-san and Akemi – they can be…" He couldn't finish his sentence; he didn't want to voice aloud his deepest fears; saying it would make the situation, that his sister was injured and _missing,_ all the more real – it would make him feel all the more helpless.

"Time isn't on our side," Isamu concurred readily yet a defeated sigh left his lips, "But Shin-san is right. Let's just hear him out so we're not all running around without any structure."

Naruto glowered indignantly at the floor but remained silent. Sasuke stared unflinchingly at Shin – a silent command that he make his strategy _quick_.

"Raiden informed us that the northwest stairway was _locked_ upon trying to enter," The Bird Jounin explained, "And when I approached the stairwell myself I noticed my chakra behaving abnormally – an outcome I believe to be the cause of the presence of the chakra-draining ofudas Raiden and his team encountered in their search of the underground levels."

"Chakra or not, we can easily open it with the amount of people we have," Naruto pointed out with impatient determination; "We'll just use brute force."

"Which is why you, Naruto-san, will be teaming with Sasuke-san, Isamu-san, and myself," Raiden spoke up – his he had returned to his cool and collected composure – his coal eyes were hard and unyielding, "The four of us are the most physically capable to open the entryway without chakra."

"Akio, Daisuke, and I will be covering you as you force the door open," Shin continued; he regarded the rest of the group with a sweeping glance, "Kasumi, Takeru, and Souta will remain here, within the protective barrier, as back-up and to safeguard this space. Souta – I need you to do all that you can to try and gain a radio connection with Sakura-san and Akemi."

Souta looked ready to protest, clearly wanting to be in a more active role, before sighing in reluctant agreement, "Alright."

"The halls are still clear," Raiden affirmed, carefully peering through the crack of the shoji door he slid open, "Let's get started."

"And be sure to carry extra ofudas," Kasumi reminded, "In case individual chakra armor is necessary."

"Alright then," Naruto's fists cracked as he tightened his fingers together, anxious to get moving, "Let's do this!"

* * *

_drip_

…

…

…

_drip_

…

…

…

_drip_

…

…

…

'…_I see you…'_

* * *

The air was very cold.

Akemi was breathing heavily through her nose, flinching with every limping step she took, progressing further into the unsettling darkness of the underground levels. Unfortunately, the Bird kunoichi couldn't step shivering – a disconcerting chill crept up her spine and into her very bones. And she couldn't stop sweating either – the pain of her leg injury caused her entire body to ache as blood uncomfortably soaked into her bandages and trickled in rivulets down her right leg.

However, Akemi took comfort in the strong and secure arm that was wrapped helpfully, and protectively, around her waist, supporting the brunt of her weight, and mindful of maintaining a slow pace so the Bird kunoichi could easily keep stride. Her left arm was slung around Sakura's shoulders, fingers curling into the Leaf kunoichi's shirt while her right hand tightly gripped the two green glow sticks from earlier.

A sudden protrusion from the ground caused Akemi to stumble and a pained hiss broke through her clenched teeth as she scraped her right hand – holding the glow sticks – against the rocky wall in order to gain balance. Immediately, Sakura stopped moving, her grip around the younger girl tightening to help steady her, and emerald eyes narrowed on her with serious concern, trying to ascertain her condition through the surrounding darkness.

"…Akemi…?" Sakura whispered, though her soft tones _still_ echoed around them eerily. The pink-haired medic took the small doctor's penlight – that she had found in her medical pouch – and shined it over her shuddering form, taking in Akemi's strained features before shifting it towards her broken leg, the bandages still blooming deep scarlet.

"…I'm okay," The Bird kunoichi answered softly, slowly straightening herself and testing her weight on her wounded leg once more – deftly holding back a pained whimper.

Sakura nodded with acknowledgment though it was difficult to see from the shadows. It was very dark and the Leaf medic's small light and the glow sticks held in Akemi's hand hardly helped. If anything, the two women could only see two or three feet ahead of them.

In the little time since starting their search for a staircase, Sakura had deduced that the underground level's layout was much more different than the layout they had explored on the ground floor. It was a maze – a _labyrinth_ – of tunnels in both wooden walkways and narrow caverns, and the darkness left them blind. Their memory was _crucial_ in staying on the right path – keeping in the right _direction_ – in their search for a stairwell that would get them back to the higher levels.

"I'm sorry," Akemi apologized quietly as she was helped by Sakura back into a more secured hold, continuing their journey through the blackness, "…I'm slowing you down."

"Don't think like that," Sakura reprimanded firmly with a shake of her head. By the dim radiance of her glow sticks, Akemi looked up at the Leaf kunoichi, noticing the hardened glint in her emerald irises and the tightness of her jaw – sweat was beading at her temples but the Leaf medic was clearly determined.

"We've been heading south for the past five minutes," Sakura stated in low observation, "We should be under the throne room," Her penlight's small, white beam moved upward towards the ceiling, finding nothing but ofuda-covered stone above them. Frowning, Sakura returned the light's shine forward, though it did nothing to help – the thin luminosity was swallowed easily by the darkness.

"We haven't come across any rooms," Akemi whispered; her voice was shaky, "What do you think the underground levels are for?"

"The lower levels of a palace can be used for a lot of things," Sakura responded, mindful of the volume of her voice but using the conversation to help calm her companion, "Armories; training rooms; sometimes used for the kitchens; even for healing and meditations."

"…And this one?" Akemi asked.

"I'm not sure," Sakura answered honestly, pausing in her steps when her footsteps echoed against wood instead of rock.

The floorboards beneath the two kunoichi _creaked_ as they ascended a short set of steps and they soon they found themselves walking down a wooden corridor, similar to the hallways they had traversed on the ground floor. It was here that Sakura's steps slowed with caution, green eyes and penlight darting everywhere as a sudden surplus of doors began to line their sides.

"So many doors…" Akemi commented, holding her glow sticks up higher before wincing as another sharp pain shot up her leg.

Sakura paused in her steps once they reached the first door on her left, her green eyes hesitantly flicking between the closed entryway and Akemi. With a soft, reluctant sigh, the Leaf medic removed Akemi's left arm from her shoulder and guided her to the opposite wall of the hall.

"S-Sakura-san?"

"I need you to wait here," The medic explained, "If I open that door and something comes out I don't want you getting more hurt in the process. I'm just going to scout ahead for a couple of yards and then _I'll come right back_."

Akemi trembled, her olive eyes wide, "B-But–"

"I _promise_, Akemi," Sakura assured seriously, her penlight cast on her sincere features as she steadily met her gaze, "I won't go far. I just want you to wait here."

Akemi bit her bottom lip, clearly not liking the plan but also understanding the logic of it. With an injured leg she would be more of a liability than any type of help. It didn't mean, however, that she was ecstatic about the strategy. Her heart thundered with fear and unease.

"Stay here," Sakura repeated quietly and, once Akemi nodded her acquiesce, the Leaf kunoichi slowly moved away, the light of her small pen darting around the darkness and towards the closed door they had discovered.

Akemi controlled her breathing as she lifted her glow sticks higher, trying to follow Sakura's movements; but the neon green light only illuminated a few inches ahead of her and the Leaf ninja was soon lost in the black obscurity – her only relief was in the form of soft sounds that suggested Sakura's movements.

_Clink_. _Clank_. The sound of metal being stirred echoed loudly before a loud _groan_ of wood followed.

_Screech. _The doors hinges _whined_ as it was pushed open. Akemi held her breath.

_Creak_. Step. _Creak_. Step.

Sakura's footsteps were trying to remain quiet, slow, and measured. Akemi wanted to call out to the medic but refrained, fearing that any sound she made would trigger a bad outcome. The Bird kunoichi wasn't sure but she could swear that the air around her had turned colder – and, maybe it was paranoia, but something shifted further down the hall and – _was that the sound of distant footsteps_?

"…It's clear," Sakura's disembodied voice stated before the sound of the door closing snapped Akemi out of her fear-induced thinking.

"W-What was inside?" The younger woman questioned unsteadily.

"Just some boxes," Sakura responded, "Storage." Her voice was getting further away and Akemi could see her penlight's beam flash briefly in the blackness, "Stay there. I'm going up ahead – but just a few yards."

"I-I heard noises," The Bird kunoichi spoke up, "At least, I think I did…"

Sakura's steps faltered with Akemi's observation before starting up again at a slower pace, "Okay, I'll keep that in mind. I see your position when you're holding those glow sticks, so keep them with you, alright?"

Akemi nodded despite the darkness, "Okay." What she would give to have her electric-based jutsu to utilize and have for her own peace of mind. Instead, her free hand reached into her pouch to equip one of her sai into her sweat-slicked grasp.

_Creak_. Step. _Creak_. Step.

_Clatter_. Another worn door handle shook before another door was forced open with a grunt. _Crack_. Some of the wood splintered on that door, Akemi couldn't help but notice.

Sakura's movements were meticulously followed by Akemi's keen hearing. She listened as Sakura explored two more rooms, each resulting in the Leaf kunoichi's swift and harmless exit. Several more seconds past before Sakura's penlight began to dart back into her view and the older ninja was carefully slinging her arm back around her shoulders.

"Empty rooms," Sakura reported, tone laced with mild frustration, "And there's an intersection of hallways ahead."

Being back in physical contact with Sakura instantly eased Akemi, her fingers curled even tighter into Sakura's shirt, but the Leaf ninja didn't seem to mind.

"Which way should we go?" Akemi asked.

"Let's avoid going left – or rather, east," Sakura explained reasonably, "The southeast stairwell was blocked off when we first found it, remember? Which leaves us with three choices – southwest, northeast, and northwest. I'd rather head _west_. Both the north side and south side are options – I'd rather go that way with two close-by routes than have to backtrack if the northeast side is blocked off too."

"So…" Akemi trailed off just as they reached the intersection of four hallways – including the one they had just emerged from, "West would be…down the right hallway."

Sakura nodded and, with furrowed brows, directed her penlight ahead of them as they turned the corner – with what little help its low shine did – and kept her arm securely around Akemi's waist.

"…I wonder how the others are doing," The Bird ninja murmured, "And Raiden is all by himself…"

Sakura couldn't help but think the same things. In the darkness of the underground she couldn't discern whether the sun had set and if the others had regrouped or found anything of interest. And Raiden _was_ alone – searching for a stairwell that led to them and could possibly be running the underground levels to find them. However, chakra-deprived, and with an injured comrade, Sakura _knew_ that the ones to be most concerned for were _themselves_.

Sakura _did not_ like the situation they were in.

"…I don't like the dark…" Akemi confessed quietly; and when Sakura glanced down at her the light of the glow sticks illuminated her younger companion's solemn expression, "It _terrifies_ me." And the admittance made Sakura realize just how tightly Akemi was gripping her shirt and that tremors shook her lithe frame.

"They told me and my brother that my dad died in the dark…" She whispered, "He was dragged away into the shadows and all they could hear were his cries of pain." Her olive eyes shut tight and Sakura could see a lone tear streak down her cheek, "…And my best friend, Ayumi, was killed in the dark too. She pushed me out of the way and the shadows took her instead…I can still hear her screams sometimes." She swallowed thickly, "I sleep with a nightlight…or a lantern – or sometimes with all the lights on in my room." The grip on her glow sticks tightened, "Raiden wasn't being cruel when he sent me down to scout out the elevator shaft first. No one knows my fear – not even Akio. It's not overwhelming; I can handle the dark…but _this_…" She shook her head, "…I don't like this."

"…I guess it doesn't help that we're out of chakra…" Sakura agreed softly, "…I'm not feeling particularly brave myself – but at least we're not completely _alone_."

"I'm glad it's _you_, Sakura-san," Akemi admitted, "You didn't have to come down after me."

"Yes," Sakura corrected seriously, "I did."

Akemi's lips lifted fractionally, "Thank you."

Sakura's right hand squeezed Akemi's waist in response, sharing a meaningful glance with the younger girl before continuing their silent trek through the dark corridor. With echoing steps, the Leaf ninja darted her meager penlight around their surroundings, steps faltering when the beam of her light was blocked by an approaching obstruction.

They had reached another intersection of hallways – three converging together which left the two kunoichi the choices of going right or left.

"Okay…" Akemi breathed, "Northwest or southwest?"

"I'm not sure…" Sakura replied honestly, "Northwest would be closer to the elevator shaft – so Raiden-san might have headed there…But southwest is closer to the rendezvous point with the others – so he might have headed there too…"

"Maybe we should go left?" Akemi suggested, "Raiden might have tried to get help from the others."

"Maybe…" The Leaf medic murmured uncertainly, "Either way…we need to hurry." She stepped forward, leading Akemi down the left hall, "We'll try the southwest side first then."

Akemi kept pace as much as she could, withholding the amount of flinches and whimpers that wanted to escape with every painful step she took on her injured, right leg. The wound was still throbbing terribly but the painkillers Sakura had given her were probably suppressing the worst agony she _could_ be suffering. The makeshift splint against her skin shifted uncomfortably and Akemi could _feel_ the broken bone – inwardly glad that her profession as a ninja left her strongly resistant, than normal, to immense pain.

_Click_. _Click_. Sakura sighed, hearing the blown-out static in her left ear, "Radio still isn't working…"

Akemi frowned at the news, before blinking her olive eyes, relieved to see that they were _somewhat_ adjusting to the darkness, "…Sakura-san?"

"Hm?"

"…About those bloody trails we found…" Akemi started, anxiously sweeping her glow stick-equipped hand along the walls to find only plastered ofudas, "…And the hand prints on the throne room doors…Where do you think those came from?"

Sakura could feel her heart constrict with apprehension, jaw locking out of reflex, "…I don't know."

"…Do you think whatever it is, that made them, are down here?"

"…Maybe," Sakura answered hesitantly, "I really hope not."

Sakura's steps slowed when the two kunoichi reached another obstruction in their path. It was a set of double door; one of them slightly ajar though not enough to see beyond. To the left of the double-doors – lining the left wall of the hall – was a single door that stood a little ominously despite its ordinary appearance.

"Okay; just like last time," Sakura whispered as she gingerly removed Akemi's arm from around her shoulders, "Stay here."

Akemi bit her lip, but nodded, "Okay."

A new chill crept up Akemi's spine as she watched Sakura disappear from her glow sticks' reach. Slowly, she limped to the opposite wall and leaned against it, brushing her fingertips against her bandages to feel wetness that probably transferred crimson onto her skin. Her back _buzzed_ uncomfortably from the ofudas' effect on her body and Akemi moved away with a frown, glaring at the wards with disdain.

Distantly she could hear Sakura muttering to herself, which was mixed in with a _clatter_ and _clink_ of movement. Fidgeting from her spot, Akemi waited as patiently as she could.

Sakura was crouched down on the floor, her penlight held between her teeth, the beam of light directed at the lock of the door. She had removed the senbon needle from her hair and began picking at the tumblers, wondering _why_ and _how_ a door would be locked, given its age.

When the final _click_ signaled the unlocking of the door, Sakura stood back to full height, swiftly stabbing the senbon back into the bun of her hair and equipping a kunai into her free hand. Slowly, carefully, the medical kunoichi turned the rusted handle of the door and pushed it open with a soft _creak_.

Cautiously, Sakura darted her penlight's beam through the blackened space, stepping past the threshold and flicking emerald irises in as thorough a search as she could manage. Fortunately, as her sight had adjusted to the darkness given her continued time submerged in it, Sakura could make out distinct shapes.

There was a table in the middle of the room, and, flashing her light onto it, scarlet splotches and smears were visible on the wooden surface. A frown tugged her lips when she noticed leather restraints also attached to the table – restraints that looked too _new_ to have been occupants of the palace for the past hundred years.

She made her way to the side of the room, where a long counter was situated, and couldn't help but let her suspicions spike when she found several glass vials and flasks – and when she shined her light on them, she could see they were filled with blood. Another sweep of the counter and she found spent ofudas – and on closer inspection, its symbols indicated something similar to the _chakra armor_ she and Sasuke helped create.

However, instead of acting as a provisional shield, _this_ ofuda seemed to _allow_ the use of chakra despite the surrounding draining-wards that were present in the room. Experimentally, Sakura tried to activate the ofuda, hoping to attain just an _ounce _of chakra she could use, but nothing happened. Sighing, she pocketed the ward for further study.

"Something isn't right…" Sakura muttered as she gave one last sweeping glance of the area, "We're definitely not alone."

Quietly, Sakura returned to the hallway, emerald eyes searching for Akemi's glow sticks only to find that they had wandered closer to the double-set doors. She flashed her penlight towards the Bird kunoichi and could see that her brows were furrowed – olive eyes narrowed with concentration.

"Akemi?"

The red-headed ninja immediately put a finger to her lips before waving Sakura closer. Curiously, Sakura followed her silent instructions, crouching low beside her younger companion, whose olive sights were directed at the crack of the slightly-opened door.

"Listen," She whispered softly, voice trembling, "Do you hear that?"

Sakura clenched her jaw, holding her breath to better hear what Akemi was hearing. It was very faint, and Sakura had to edge closer to the door in order to accept the sounds better, brows furrowing steeply with worry.

Crying. She could hear crying. Or was it sobbing? It was the kind that included low moans and the simple act of rocking back and forth. It was filled with pain and Sakura couldn't tell if it was a trap…or if someone really needed _help_.

"…What do we do?" Akemi whispered, "Should we go back?"

"It might be someone that needs help," Sakura reasoned reluctantly.

"And what if it's not?"

"…What if it is?" Sakura countered with a soft frown, "Kami, this is definitely a difficult situation," She gripped the side of the door and began to push it open, "We'll check it out. Stay close to me; and leave the glow sticks – we don't want to attract attention."

Akemi gulped but nodded her head, setting the glow sticks down in the corner of the hallway before trailing closely behind Sakura as she entered the new section of the level, her small penlight their only guiding luminescence.

They had entered a new hallway and it was very straightforward, which left the two kunoichi only one direction to follow. The crying they heard before was much more distinct without the obstruction of the doors, and it echoed hauntingly along the corridor. Akemi kept so close to Sakura that her toes almost collided with the Leaf ninja's heels.

Ahead, Sakura could see a distinct intersection in the hallway that went left and right. Just before the fork was a room on the left side of the hall, its door open with a gruesome blood trail that emerged from within. It trailed down the hall in a dragging pattern, heading towards the intersection of hallways before disappearing down the left corner.

Sakura stopped in front of the door, eyes following the blood tracks into the room and noticing, with her limited light, the same room she had come across just a few minutes prior. It was a single table in the center, with blood decorating the wood, and snapped leather restraints that probably once-held the sobbing woman they were now hearing.

'_Experiments…?'_ Sakura couldn't help but think.

She turned to regard Akemi who, even in the low light, paled upon seeing the crimson tracks. With a flick of her wrist, Sakura _ordered_ that Akemi stay beside the room – which, she determined with another sweeping glance – was completely empty. Akemi's olive eyes widened with fear but Sakura's hard emerald were firm. Thankfully, even without the glow sticks, their sights had adjusted _enough_ that they could make out each other's shapes within a few meters.

With a final nod, Sakura swiftly turned away, crouching low and stepping lightly along the scarlet-smeared tracks, making sure her boots didn't _squelch_ against the still-wet liquid.

'_Mmmmmgn…ku…ku…Aaaaaaaaagh…'_

Frowning, Sakura stopped right at the corner of the intersection, pressing her back against the wall, and switching off her penlight with a quiet _click_. Breathing out slowly, she edged closer to the corner, carefully peering around and instantly seeing a hunched form several yards ahead.

She was rocking back and forth, moaning and sobbing, her back to Sakura, with long, dark hair that cascaded around her. A pool of blood surrounded her and Sakura was left with the difficult choice of whether or not to ask if this woman needed help…or to stay as quiet as possible.

'_Uuuuuugh…ha…hu…Nnnnnghghh.'_

A slight movement behind her indicated Akemi's restlessness and Sakura darted her gaze down the right-side hallway to see that it was empty. Ideally, right – _west_ – was the direction they should go to find a staircase, but this new discovery put a halt to their initial plan.

Sakura was about to step out and approach the woman, kunai still gripped readily in her hand, when a sudden sound tore through her ear –

"–_ello? …nyone copy?_"

– prompting Sakura to reach into her collar quickly and turn off her radio, no matter how much she wanted to get in contact with the others, her breath hitching with surprise from the sudden noise. Behind her, Akemi had also gasped, before the distant _click_ indicated her switching off the device also.

The sudden silence left Sakura's heart pounding in her ears, her body growing hot with a spike of adrenaline.

"_Silence…"_ Sakura realized with trepidation – no _crying_ – and she darted her gaze back to the hunched form in the hallway.

She wasn't there.

"Shit," Sakura whispered as she looked around, quickly trailing her gaze to the blood tracks which seemed to veer left, towards the wall…before smearing _upwards_ towards the ceiling.

Sakura's heart stopped when she saw the dark form attached to the ceiling – there were no distinct features she could distinguish but two red eyes that _glowed_. Those red orbs darted around searchingly, before the figure began to crawl along the ceiling towards her position, moving in a predatory yet graceful manner.

Sakura shuffled backwards, moving swiftly as thoughts processed rapidly in her mind, grabbing Akemi's arm as she reached her and pushing her unceremoniously into the room she had peered into earlier. She didn't bother closing the door, shushing Akemi when the younger girl began to ask what was going on, and pushing her down to hide behind the table, instructing her to stay as silent as possible.

"Sakura-sa–?"

"_Shh_!"

Akemi snapped her lips closed, hands shaking as she crouched low, looking up at Sakura who was peering over the table before a sudden, distant _hissing_ sound caused the Leaf kunoichi to duck back down, removing her tantō from the back of her belt. Akemi's olive eyes peered through the wooden cracks of the table towards the doorway, her heart rate increasing as a shadowed form emerged, head peering in from the top of the doorway before crawling down, red eyes darting around, narrowed into diamond slits.

'_Where are you?'_ It whispered loudly, crawling closer – and, to Akemi's horror, it was veering to the side of the table that she was hiding, _'I'll find you…'_

'_It's not the _Shadow,' Akemi couldn't help but think, _'But why can it talk?'_

Beside her, Sakura's emerald irises were critically tracking the woman's eerily silent movements, right arm readying her tantō, and left hand gripping Akemi's shoulder, already pulling her towards her in an act to properly protect her.

'_I smell…blood…'_

Akemi looked down at her leg, cursing the fact that her wound was a liability.

'_Hungry…So hungry for blood…What did that man do to me…?'_ She sounded in pain and another choked sob left her.

A sudden movement at her left and Akemi turned her head to look into glowing, red irises, her heart stopping with dread as its mouth opened with sharpened teeth, lunging for her neck.

"_NO_!" Sakura charged forward, stabbing her tantō into the _creature_'s chest, extending her wrist blade with a _shing_ and driving it into her ribs for extra emphasis. Akemi was pushed back, listening to the _Corpse_'s outraged scream which resonated loudly in the small space. The darkness left Akemi blind as she heard movement – the sound of Sakura's and her opponent's scuffle causing glass to break and beginning to move farther away.

An abrupt, agonized scream bounced off the walls and Akemi's heart dropped when she recognized it as Sakura's. Tears began to slide down her cheeks, fear choking her heart as her olive eyes darted around, trying to relocate the Leaf medic but finding nothing in the blackness.

An impact collided into a Bird kunoichi and Akemi's tears flowed freely with terror as she struggled against the arms that held her. Something heavy and wet fell on her left shoulder and she was about to wildly attack with her sai when a gurgling voice rasped in urgency.

"Akemi," Sakura gasped heavily, her tone laced with excruciating pain, "_Run_!"

Sakura was suddenly ripped away from her and another strangled call of "_RUN_!" tore through the Leaf medic's lips before Akemi blindly limped for the door with a sob. She halted just before crossing the threshold, listening to the struggle behind her, gripping her sai tightly because _she couldn't leave her comrade behind_!

"_Ahhhhhhhh_!"

Akemi jolted at the sound, her body trembling before something grabbed her and began to harshly push her forward.

"I told you to _run_," Sakura reprimanded angrily but her voice was unusually gruff and her grip was slippery on her arms. Akemi couldn't get any words out as she was led swiftly back into the hallways, being herded down the corridor and turning right at the intersection – the direction they needed to go.

"W-Where is she?" Akemi whispered, forcing down the whimper that wanted to break free from her leg's throbbing.

"I don't know," Sakura answered, breathing labored, "I put a senbon to her eye – which gave me time to get away – but I don't know by how much."

'_I'm coming for you_!'

Sakura felt sharp hands curl around her shoulders and _pull_, yanking her away from Akemi and causing a startled cry to escape the youngest woman's lips. Her back landed hard on the wooden floor and Sakura couldn't suppress the shout of pain that shot across her bleeding collarbone. Looking up she stared into one, glowing-red eye, the other dripping with an unknown substance onto her cheek. The _Corpse_ leaned forward and bit into Sakura's already-bleeding neck, eliciting another shriek before she hastily reached into her boot, removed her folded, windmill shuriken, extended it with a _snap_, and stabbed two of its four blades into her enemy's hip.

"_Sakura-san_!"

Akemi's cry was panicked but Sakura couldn't respond, her body feeling sluggish with blood loss. The _Corpse_ above her cried out loudly when the windmill shuriken bit into her decayed flesh, though the injury didn't stop her from attacking the Leaf shinobi beneath her.

"_Stop_!" Akemi cried out and a flurry of movement caused the _Corpse_ to roll off her as the Bird ninja stabbed one of her sai into her neck.

'_AAAAHHHHHHHHH_!_'_

Much gentler hands touched Sakura's shoulder and Akemi gasped at the amount of blood that drenched Sakura's front. With tears streaming down her face, Akemi hauled Sakura to her feet as best as she could and began leading her down the rest of the hall where another set of double doors stood. Caution wasn't her priority as she shouldered the doors open as hard as she could, Sakura groaning beside her as her injuries were harshly jarred.

Luck was on her side as Akemi found Sakura's penlight, _clicking_ on the tiny beam and finding a long table near the door – she tried not to think about what caused the blood stains decorating the top. She set Sakura down off to the side, against the wall, before limping towards the table and pushing it with the strength of her pumping adrenaline, in an effort to keep the _Corpse_ from following.

"Kami, Kami, _Kami_," Akemi whispered to herself as the tears flowed relentlessly down her cheeks.

_BANG_!

The Bird kunoichi jumped as the doors rattled with the force of the _Corpse_'s attack. She pushed her body against the table that prevented those same doors from opening; mind a whirlwind of unstoppable fears and her fingers shaking as they tightly gripped the edge of the table.

_BANG_!

"Oh my _Kami_," Akemi repeated, trembling as she darted the penlight around. They were in a large room, lined with tables and chains that hung disturbingly from the ceilings. Several cupboards and cabinets were situated along the walls and another set of double doors was directly opposite from where she stood.

_Crack_.

Red hair went flying as Akemi turned her head. Sakura was still leaning against the wall, but she had broken another glow stick, its green luminosity revealing the dark crimson heavily decorating the Leaf medic. Her emerald irises were half-lidded, but she was moving efficiently, taking a roll of bandages from her back pouch and pressing it against her bloody neck.

"Sakura-san?" Akemi called worriedly, not daring to move as she pushed her weight against the table – and thus, the door as well.

"I'm fine," Sakura responded, albeit weakly, "I'm o–" She flinched heavily before sighing, "I'm okay."

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

Akemi flinched, heart dropping with every sound, the tremor of the force knocking roughly against her lower back, where she leaned against the table, "W-We should keep moving…"

Sakura nodded, slowly getting up, "…We need chakra." She walked off and began to push another table towards the door, clearly strained, pushing it in place of Akemi to add extra weight.

_CRAAAACK_!

A pale hand and its connecting arm was forcing its way through the wooden barricade, causing the skin to break and bleed as it blindly clawed its way through.

Sakura took Akemi's hand firmly, the other already equipped with her bloody tantō and extended wrist blade, and began to lead her to the other side of the room where the double doors were located.

"…You've lost a lot of blood," Akemi whispered in observation, Sakura's hand slicked with warm liquid.

Sakura didn't respond, carefully opening one of the doors and peering inside.

Akemi didn't like the way Sakura's hand tightened around her own.

"…What's wrong?"

Again, Sakura didn't respond and Akemi was beginning to think that the act of talking might _actually_ hinder Sakura's strength. The Leaf medic began to rummage through her pouch and produced an ampoule of herbs that Akemi recognized when she shined the penlight on them.

"No matter what," Sakura whispered weakly as she emptied the green leaves onto her bleeding collarbone – effectively helping to mask the scent of blood, "Don't make a sound. Stay very quiet."

_BANG! BANG!_

"W-What about when _she_ gets through?" Akemi questioned, not liking Sakura's grim warning.

A look of annoyance actually crossed Sakura's features and she frowned deeply when another _BANG_ echoed in the room. With a soft breath, Sakura removed another glow stick from her pack, cracked it down its middle to gain its neon coloring, and – to Akemi's surprise – threw it across the room to land on the table, effectively lighting up the pale arm that was still trying to claw through. The _Corpse_'s single red eye could be seen through the cracks as well, staring at them fiercely.

"I hope this works…" Sakura exhaled as she removed a vial from her bag, dipping three senbon needles into the purple liquid housed inside the glass.

Akemi watched with fascination as Sakura shakily pulled back the sleeve of her left arm, revealing a bloodied, but functioning, senbon launcher. Needles were loaded in and Sakura lifted her arm and aimed, the Leaf kunoichi blinking rapidly to focus and Akemi not doubting that the blood loss was affecting her vision.

It probably took longer than what Sakura could normally do, but once she released the taut string, the needles _zipped_ quickly across the room before embedding into the pale flesh of the _Corpse_'s arm.

'_Aaaaargh_!'

The arm immediately pulled back and disappeared and Sakura shoved her sleeve back down before returning her attention back to the doors.

"I don't know how much of an affect poison has on them," Sakura admitted, "Either way, we need to get moving," She equipped her tantō tightly; "Do you remember what I said?"

"Don't make a sound," Akemi repeated unsurely, "Stay very quiet."

"And stay close to me," Sakura finished as she took the penlight from Akemi and clicked it off, "No matter what."

Her tone of voice left no room for argument and Sakura carefully pushed open the door. Akemi followed as quietly as possible, holding her breath, sticking very close to Sakura's trail.

A collective moan greeted her ears and tension stiffened Akemi's shoulders. However, the mass groaning was different from ones she heard before. They were high pitched; they were softer…

…They belonged to the corpses of _children_.

Sakura had hidden her earlier glow stick – from when she was tending to her neck injury – into her right sleeve so the light wouldn't attract any attention. She stuck close to the wall as the smaller bodies wandered aimlessly around in the narrow hallway. The numbers were terrifying and, while Akemi had faced child-_corpses_ before, never had she encountered so many at one time – they were one of the worst opponents to run into.

In the darkness of the hall, Akemi followed Sakura, squeezing past tiny forms and shivering as they fractionally brushed past her, their groans tugging at her heart as she trailed Sakura's resolute steps. Unbidden, tears began to creep down her cheeks, saddened by the sheer numbers _The Curse_ had taken in children's innocent lives.

'…_Ha…Ha…Ha…Ha…'_

The chanted laugh caused a tremor to run through both kunoichi's bodies. Fortunately, they didn't seem to notice their presences – the herbs covered the smell of their blood and their eyes were neither present nor capable of seeing through the darkness – why was that? Did the draining-ofudas affect the enemy also? Was their _natural chakra_, which Naruto felt around them, also sapped due to the wards?

Suddenly, Sakura stumbled and she grabbed the wall for support – the sound causing the tiny _Corpses_ around them to pause and slowly turn in the direction of Sakura's form. Akemi watched Sakura freeze, her right arm shooting out in a signal for Akemi to keep going.

'…_Ha…Ha…Ha…Ha…'_

Akemi frowned, swerving past bodies but keeping Sakura in her peripheral vision, the older woman avoiding the touch of the approaching children before wriggling the glow stick from her sleeve and throwing it down the hall – towards where they had first come from.

_Clatter_.

Again, the children paused, heads slowly turning towards the noise before deliberately following the sound of Sakura's distraction. Even in the darkness, Akemi couldn't help but shiver as she watched them approach the green-glowing object, their skin broken and bleeding, pale and decayed. Their clothes were torn and tattered, hair in disarray, and movements so unnatural. One child limped, another crawled with a single leg missing, and one little girl eerily stood alone in the center of the room, long hair covering the direction of her gaze – though it was clearly _not_ attracted to the glow stick behind her.

Akemi didn't care, limping forward and reaching Sakura, who looked pale as she clutched at her still-bleeding neck wound. Without another word, Akemi took the Leaf medic's arm and helpfully led her to the end of the hall, releasing her briefly to open the door.

She pushed Sakura through the entryway and looked over her shoulder, heart dropping when the child with long, dark hair stood just a foot away from her. Akemi had no doubt that she was staring straight at her, even when the other children _corpses_ stayed in the vicinity of the glow stick.

Akemi didn't dare _move_. She stared at the child with wide, olive eyes before decidedly taking a single step backwards, through the door.

The results were _immediate_.

The child lunged forward, tackling Akemi across the entryway and to the floor, tiny hands curled around her neck and black-_black_ eyes glaring down at her as blood dripped down her mouth. There was a bustle of movement as Sakura quickly closed the door before more _corpse_ children could come through, before the weight of the cadaver was thrown off her.

In the pitch-darkness of the new room, Akemi listened as the _corpse_ snarled and Sakura grunted; their shadows and shapes moving against the far wall. Again, Akemi felt tears begin to trek down her cheeks because Sakura had it under control – but in a way where Sakura's emerald irises had taken on a deadened glint as she held the child in her arms by the neck.

_CRACK_!

Akemi closed her eyes tightly, letting the tears flow, knowing that merely breaking the neck of the cadaver wouldn't stop a _Corpse_ and listening as Sakura snapped the bones of the body in her grip, breaking the nerves and functions of the _corpse_'s body so it would have no way to continue coming after them.

'_Who would do this…?'_ Akemi anguished in her head.

_Thud_.

Sakura had placed the body in the corner of the room as it continued to twitch and moan from its broken position. The Leaf kunoichi then knelt down in front of Akemi, penlight flashing on her body so she could inspect her condition, emerald irises scarily cold and clouded.

Something had changed in Sakura. Her features were sharp. What they were experiencing in the underground levels…it was _breaking_ her.

Akemi herself was scared – _terrified_. And she couldn't help but let the sob bubble out of her throat as she bowed her head and cried, inwardly wondering if they were _ever_ going to escape.

"Hey," Sakura whispered, her voice raspy but gentle – and Akemi looked up and was so _relieved_ to see the old, compassionate shine in her comrade's expression, "Please don't cry, Akemi."

"I'm so…_scared_…" The Bird kunoichi hiccupped, clumsily trying to wipe her tears away.

"We…" Sakura flinched, right hand gripping her neck wound, and left hand holding the penlight up, "…We need to stay strong. I'm _sure_ we're almost at a staircase. We have to be."

"And if it's blocked?" Akemi whimpered, "I-If we don't find one? We're going to die down here, aren't we?"

"_Don't_, Akemi," Sakura stated firmly, "_Don't_ think like that. We'll figure something out."

'_I've found you…'_

Akemi's chest tightened as the soft hiss echoed around them. Sakura was already darting her head around with wariness, shifting closer to Akemi.

An arm curled securely around Akemi's waist and her tears sprung up anew as a whimper escaped her. Sakura's eyes snapped towards her with worry and Akemi felt her features crumple with defeated acceptance…

…Because Sakura's right hand was still pressed against her neck wound and her left hand was clearly equipped with her tantō and penlight.

The arm around her waist tightened.

"Akemi?"

Tears slid endlessly down her cheeks as she breathed in shaky gasps, her olive eyes sadly meeting Sakura's worried emerald, "S-Sakur–_aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa_!"

Sakura only saw a single red eye over Akemi's shoulder before the Bird kunoichi was quickly dragged into the darkness, her terrified, sobbing screams echoing in the corridor as her legs flailed about. Sakura only blinked once in stupor before shooting to her feet, running after Akemi with a swear tearing past her lips and her penlight's beam catching snatches of Akemi's dragging form.

"No, no, no, no, no, _NO_!" Sakura shouted as she ran as fast as her normal legs could take her, listening to Akemi crying out for help, followed by a shriek of fear and pain.

"_STOP_!" Akemi screamed in the distance, her sobs like knives to Sakura's rapidly beating heart, "_SAKURA_!" Another high-pitched scream and Sakura could feel tears prickling her eyes as she turned a right-corner, "_HELP_! _PLEASE_! _AHHHHHH_!"

"AKEMI!" Her flailing legs finally came back into Sakura's view and blood was pooling around her body – but Akemi wasn't idle, stabbing her sai into the _Corpse_'s flesh as it bit into Akemi's already-broken leg.

Without any reservations for herself, Sakura tackled the _Corpse_ off of Akemi, extending her wrist blade and stabbing it straight into the cadaver's neck before slicing it across the column in a raging attempt to decapitate her. Blood spurted from her efforts, splashing onto her face, but Sakura didn't stop – using pure _force_, she stabbed her tantō into the cadaver's struggling shoulder to prevent it from escaping and wildly cut through the _Corpse_'s flesh in hacking motions that were recklessly _violent_.

All Sakura could see now was _red_.

Adrenaline pumped hotly through her veins. She was carrying a murderous intent that made Akemi frightened as she watched feet away as the Leaf medic _tore_ through her enemy with ferocity – emerald irises stonily detached.

It was a look that Akemi couldn't help but feel like was _familiar_…She just couldn't pinpoint _what_.

"Sakura-san," Akemi called out weakly, whimpering when her re-broken leg caused a sharp pain to travel throughout her body, "S-Stop it. _Please_."

The pleading of her voice halted Sakura's vicious movements as the _Corpse_ lay motionless beneath her. She was breathing heavily and, when she leaned back and into the shine of her discarded penlight, Akemi couldn't help but think that Sakura looked _menacing_ – skin covered in dark blood and her gaze coldly distant.

"Sakura-san?"

Sakura turned to look at her and – once more in relief – the soft, compassionate light returned to her green irises, roving over Akemi and landing with concern on her bleeding leg.

"Are you okay?" Sakura asked softly, moving off the cadaver and already removing more bandages from her pouch.

Akemi watched her searchingly, "…Are _you_?"

Sakura paused, didn't meet her eyes, and then proceeded to re-splint and rewrap her leg, "I'm fine."

Akemi flinched, the unpleasant feeling of shifting bone causing her to hiss and curl her fingers into fists in order to suppress any loud noises that could attract attention.

"Can you move?" Sakura inquired softly, holding a hand out to her.

Akemi nodded, taking the limb and pulling herself up with a grunt. Sakura looked around, brows furrowed with contemplation.

"The _Corpse_ detoured us…We'll have to head to the northwest stairwell instead," Her tone was frustrated.

"Okay, let's go then," Akemi urged, frowning as a pain that up her left side where another bite mark was present.

With both kunoichi without chakra and dangerously low on blood, they needed to find the exit from this hell _as soon as possible_.

_BOOM…BANG…THUD…THUD…_

The sounds were distant, coming from the south, and Sakura and Akemi shared a glance before continuing north at as quick a speed as they could manage.

A collection of moans resonated across the halls. Akemi held her breath as she began to run faster, not caring that the increase in pace was detrimental to her leg but just wanting to get _out_.

_Click_.

Sakura had turned on her radio, about to press into her device to gain any type of connection when a sudden static filled her ear.

"–_kura-chan–…–kemi-chan–…–if…can hear me?–_" It sounded like Souta's voice, "_–head for northwest–…–northwest, top floor–…–repeat: northwest, top floor–…–kura-chan–…–kemi-chan–…–if you can hear me?–_" And Souta's message continued to repeat.

"Just our luck," Sakura breathed, "That's exactly where we're headed."

'_Blood…'_

Tension coiled in their shoulders as the _Creature_'s voice echoed in the corridor behind them. Sakura could see a door ahead of them and she blinked her hazy vision before skidding to a stop and keeping caution at the forefront of her mind as she carefully pushed the door opened. What she discovered caused the first feeling of _hope_ to fill her.

"The staircase," Akemi gasped with relief.

"Go," Sakura urged, guiding the younger girl in before following, closing the door tightly behind her even when she saw the _Shadow_ standing eerily, yards away, at the opposite end of the hall. With a grunt, Sakura broke off the handle of the door and turned on her heel, climbing after Akemi with measured breaths.

_BANG_! _BANG_! _BANG_!

The pounding that was occurring behind Sakura as she climbed the square-spiraled stairwell caused her heart to clench uncomfortably, a flinch wracking her body as she inwardly hoped that the door stay sturdy just a few more minutes longer.

Akemi had cracked-on another glow stick as she ran up the wooden steps, immediately noticing the immense amount of ofudas that decorated the ramparts. Every door she came across that signaled a new level was tested by shaky hands to open – but each resulted in a locked barricade that caused her fear to spike another fraction more. Her right leg was _throbbing_ now and she could feel the blood trickling down her skin in thick rivulets.

It was on the third level – with just one more to go – that Sakura heard the loud _CRACK_ of wood breaking which was followed by a unified groan of cadavers. She leaned over the railing briefly but saw nothing in the swallowed darkness.

"It's locked!" Akemi half-shouted, half-whimpered one more flight up – on the fourth floor – and Sakura immediately increased her pace to reach her, "There are ofudas _everywhere_!"

When Sakura reached the top floor her emerald irises were immediately drawn to the door – lit by Akemi's glow stick – which was completely covered by ofudas. Her eyes shifted to Akemi, whose leg was drenched in scarlet before watching the younger girl _tear_ at the papers, trying to rip them off and fighting through the purple energy that erupted in painful retaliation.

"Let us _out_!" Akemi screamed with terror, grabbing at wards that burned her hands before slashing her sai across the papers, only to have the weapon ricochet without results, "Let us _OUT_!"

Sakura wished she had fire. She wished she could burn the seals off or at least use the element out of protection. Turning on her heel, she faced the darkened staircase with narrowed, green eyes – _challenging_ – as she stepped backwards and gripped her tantō in readiness. The sounds of the approaching _Corpses_ echoed in her head like a count-down.

This was it.

"I don't want to die," Akemi uttered weakly before clawing once more at the ofudas and then taking her radio into her hands, "Does anyone hear me? We're _here_! Northwest stairwell, top floor! We're _here_!"

Sakura couldn't hear the Bird kunoichi through her earpiece but disheartening static.

"_Please_!" Akemi pleaded.

The first _Corpse_ emerged and Sakura pulled back her left sleeve, loaded a senbon, and launched the needle right into the forehead, blinking rapidly as her awareness began to darken with blood-loss.

'_I can't last much longer…'_ Sakura thought morbidly as she shot another needle, barely hitting the mark of an elderly, female cadaver.

"_Please_…" Akemi repeated tiredly.

"_Hey_!"

Sakura jolted. Akemi straightened with confusion. The masculine voice had been muffled – _familiar_.

"_Akemi-chan – is that you_?"

"…Isamu-san?" The Bird kunoichi whispered, before pounding her fist against the door, "Isamu-san!"

Sakura had no time to help Akemi, her focus entirely on the approaching _Corpses_, which were growing with number. She raised her tantō, slicing it across the torso of a taller male before cutting off extended arms reaching for her on a shinobi-clothed female.

"_Is Sakura-chan with you_?" Naruto yelled – and hearing his voice caused a faint, relieved smile to touch the Leaf kunoichi's lips.

Akemi looked over her shoulder, olive eyes wide upon seeing the encroaching enemy, "She is! But sh-she's fighting! Hurry, _please_! There are _Corpses_ and the _Shadow_! And we have no chakra!"

"_Okay, we'll get you out! We're working as fast as we can_!" Naruto assured.

"_Hurry up_!" An even more muffled voice stated – and Akemi recognized it as her twin's, "_We've got _Corpses _on this side too – and they're adapting to our fire!_"

"Akemi, stand back!" Sakura shouted before a _Corpse_ could move past her to get to her younger comrade.

Sakura would be _damned_ if she got this far and neither herself nor Akemi made it out alive. They just had to hold out long enough for their teammates to _somehow_ get the door opened.

Extending her wrist blade, Sakura stabbed it into the collarbone of a male cadaver before severing another male _corpse_'s two hands with her tantō before kicking him in the abdomen, causing him to stumble back with a groan and topple over several other adversaries behind him. Then she removed another windmill shuriken from her boot, fanned it open, and slashed across a group of three bodies, effectively spraying blood everywhere. A shout from Akemi alerted Sakura to another cadaver that had slipped past her and she threw her windmill shuriken with deadly accuracy, cutting the head clean off the body before it could reach within a foot of her red-headed comrade.

'_BLOOD.'_

Sakura narrowed her eyes as she watched a pale, white hand grip the wooden railing of the stairway before it pulled a dark form over. The _Creature_ slowly looked up to connect her shadowy, black eyes with Sakura's steely emerald – a blood-stained grin breaking over her features.

"HURRY!" Akemi shouted desperately, _especially_ as she watched Sakura's shoulder blades tense with readiness and her feet positioning into a _charging_ stance.

"_Almost_!" Raiden responded with strain which was followed by a slight _crack_ of wood.

'_You will be mine, Haruno Sakura…'_ The _Shadow_ stated confidently.

Sakura didn't respond. Instead, she firmed her stance, heart pounding but unafraid. Instead, she felt immensely frustrated – _tired_ – she just wanted it all to _stop_.

_CRACK_!

"_ALMOST_!" Raiden repeated with vigor.

The _Shadow _wasted no time; lunging forward, hair flying, _'Raaaaaaaargh_!'

Sakura stood her ground, removing a kunai from her pouch with her left hand, and raising her tantō, in readiness, with her right.

"_SAKURA-SAN_!" Akemi screamed.

* * *

**Edit 2/10/2013: **_I've rewritten the scenes that occur after Akemi screams for Sakura. They will debut in the next update! I initially put this in a **Chapter 29: Author's Note** but it never showed up, so I'm putting the warning here. Sorry for the confusion!_**  
**

**A/N:** Okay, wow, that chapter took me all day to type out…I might edit it a bit sometime. Though, I really hope it was to your liking! Did you guys get scared? I really hope so! And if you haven't already, check out the **Character Profiles** on my Blog to help you picture the Original Characters. And thank you all for your support and feedback!

**Note:** I did get a lot of reviews saying that readers skip the Original Character experience, I'm a little saddened by that largely because they've kinda turned into my babies but mostly because they gain some insights too that Team Kakashi might not. So just a _**warning**_ to those who skip those parts – you might miss vital information. But, it's your decision on how you want to read this, but I just got to put that caution.

And for those who read the last chapter, I'm glad I made you scared for Naruto – I was super scared myself, heehee. So, _were you scared for Sakura and Akemi_ in this chapter? **What do you think will happen next?**

AND I'm sorry for my cliffhangers, it helps with the suspense, haha!

**Note:** This chapter was actually pretty dark – in terms of how Sakura handled things. What she experienced in the underground levels really tested her. There was a darkness that began to consume her because of her basic instinct of _survival_ – just like Naruto in the lake. When you're fighting for your life, sometimes your morals get thrown out the window. For example, when Sakura had to take care of the child corpse and when the woman corpse dragged Akemi away, Sakura reacted in a very dark and harsh way. Normally she loves children, is compassionate and considerate, but this time around she had to be calculating and deadly – a trait she undoubtedly learned in ANBU but honestly doesn't utilize much since she's mostly a medic. However, humanity isn't completely lost on her with the presence of Akemi – someone who kept her grounded throughout the ordeal – if you happened to notice the way she softened when Akemi grabbed back Sakura's attention. This experience will definitely play a part in the future of this story.

**AND ALSO** I _did_ initially want to do something a little darker in the hall when Akemi and Sakura were with the children-corpses, but I felt uncomfortable having them actively kill kids. It messed with my morals so I had to tone it down for my own peace of mind. Even when Sakura took out that child-corpse I tried to keep it as - clean, I guess? - as possible. Sorry guys, looks like I got limits when it comes to horror. The _Little Girl_ on the other hand has already take up a mind of her own that's _dreadful_. Innocent child corpses, however, is a different story. I'm not _that dark_ guys...

**AND** if you're wondering, the radio contact that alerted the crying _Corpse_ that Sakura was there was because of Daisuke, from the previous chapter.

**ALSO **It was also brought to my attention that there is a potential for stories being copied or stolen. I've recently exchanged messages with author **Sakurablossom606** about her story _**Wherever You Go**_ which is also a Horror story, who was concerned that she might be accused for copying me and kindly PM'd me of this possibility. In terms of similarities, both our stories have creepy, haunting, little girls that scare the main character. I do not own any copyright of that character type – many movies and video games have scary, little girls as a haunting enemy – it's a very effective character. So I just wanted to make that clear if readers come across this particular story and make accusations. Besides, **Sakurablossom606**'s story is ItaSaku while mine is SasuSaku and our plotlines are different – but for clarification's sake we're both putting this in our **Author's Notes** just to make it clear. And, please, go check out her story! Horror stories are hard to come by, and new and different plotlines are always fun to explore. We also appreciate feedback to help us grow as writers! Plus, Itachi is quite yummy.

**In other news: **I think my mini-crush on Isamu is growing, haha.

**OMG WE ARE SO CLOSE TO 1000 REVIEWS!** I never thought a story I published could reach that much! Thank you so much! Without you guys – both reviewers and readers – I would have never made it this far! Every single word and chapter I type is dedicated to you guys, for seriously taking the time to read and review my works, ultimately helping me with your feedback to grow more as a writer AND as a person! So thank you! **YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!**

**PLEASE LET ME KNOW** what you think about the chapter – we've reached the final 8-10 chapters in this story, and I'm really curious where you guys think this story will be going. How did you like the arguments in the beginning? How about Sakura's and Akemi's adventure? The Team7 tidbit? _**The final sentence**_? I really look forward to hearing your thoughts! Thank you!

**Next Update:** Next 7-10 days

**Next Chapter:** _Chapter Twenty-Nine: Discord_

**GOT QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS? PM or Review (but make sure you're logged in under a Username so I can promptly respond back!)**

**Side Note: **Working on another one-shot. Aaaaand, I've gotten a strange increase of reviews for **The Road of Touch, The Road to Feel** and found it was due to a shout-out in _**ohwhatsherface**_'s new story. I'm _touched,_ and reading these new reviews seems to have revitalized my motivation for the story – so _thank you to all of you_ – especially _**ohwhatsherface**_, haha. I'll get right on that as soon as I can! For you guys! (And I totally feel like an ass for not finishing it already and leaving all of you readers in suspense…and that includes my other stories too…Ah, _apologies_!)

**Twitter:** DreamCreateLove

**Tumblr:** SincerelyLen

**Wordpress:** sincerelylen

**~Len**


	29. Discord

**The Curse**

_**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Discord**_

Sasuke scowled as his red and black irises flickered and he had to stop walking in order to squeeze his eyes shut, feeling his chakra stutter weirdly throughout his body before slowly fading into nonexistence, consequently causing his Sharingan to recede until only obsidian irises remained. His fingers curled, tightening into a fist as he tried to call up his reserves, but his frown deepened when nothing was gained.

A heavy hand fell on the Uchiha's shoulder and he blinked up at the owner, staring into grim royal blue eyes, though his brows were furrowed with characteristic determination. A few yards ahead of them, Raiden and Isamu were inspecting a dense, wooden door – which was irritatingly shut tight and locked. Behind him, Shin, Daisuke, and Akio were setting up a perimeter and creating a strategy for when the _Corpses_ finally arrived to overrun the fourth floor of the palace.

"They can't come down the west hall since it has been blocked off," Shin informed Dai and Akio, "However, it does not mean that _other_ creatures will not slip through hidden cracks of the debris."

"I'll set some trip-wire then," Daisuke responded, "A web. If something gets through, I'll know."

"We'll find her, Sasuke," Dark eyes slid back to Naruto who was staring at him in all seriousness, nodding his head twice for extra emphasis, "We'll find her."

It was difficult to be optimistic given the circumstances. Sasuke slid his gaze to Raiden and Isamu, both men pulling on the metal handles of the doors and exerting all their physical muscle strength, but it was presenting little results.

"She doesn't have chakra, Naruto," Sasuke couldn't help but point out lowly, "She's in the company of an injured comrade."

The blonde shinobi stared at Sasuke searchingly before removing his hand from his shoulder and offering a shrug, "Did Sakura-chan ever tell you about the mission that got her nominated for ANBU?"

Sasuke's brows furrowed with confusion and he watched Naruto shove his hands in his pockets before staring intently at the floor with memory.

"It was a little after the war ended," Naruto began, taking Sasuke's silence in stride, "I think you had been serving your time in Lightning Country; but Sakura-chan had been sent out to Rain Country to help train their medical units and to help heal their wounded. She was teamed with Genma and Hinata-chan," Naruto frowned before letting out a sigh, "A faction of ninja, who had been following Obito, managed to slip into the borders and attacked the village Sakura-chan had been staying in. A lot of people died," He had been frowning but a soft smile slowly twitched Naruto's lips upwards, "And you _know_, Sakura-chan. In all the chaos she came up with a strategy, rallied a group of Rain ninja, and just _took charge_ – she stayed level-headed. She was able to analyze weak spots, enemy assets, and utilized her and her teammates' strengths to their advantage," His smile grew wider, "She saved lives," He laughed, "And of course, Sakura-chan got in trouble for it because _'things could have gone wrong'_ or she _'should have called for reinforcements'_ but in reality – she showed strength in leadership, she stayed smart and logical given the situation. If she had left and called for help then the village would have been destroyed before help could have arrived. If she hadn't shown her bravery things could have gone _worse_," Again, Naruto shrugged, "Sure, Sakura-chan has her reckless moments – heck, _I_ have my reckless moments – but she's tough," Naruto steadily met Sasuke's gaze and smirked, "She's a _kunoichi_."

Sasuke sighed, "I _know_ that."

"I know you do," Naruto agreed seriously, "And I know you're concerned. We both are. But we can't underestimate Sakura-chan either – or the lengths she'll go to, _especially_ with Akemi-chan with her."

"It's those _lengths_ that I'm worried about," Sasuke muttered, "This is the girl that took a _blade_ to the back for _me_ – a _traitor_ – during the war."

"She took the blade for a _friend_," Naruto corrected earnestly; he shrugged once more, "Besides,I don't think there's anything Sakura-chan will do to risk herself," His amendment was accompanied by a growing grin, "I mean, she's got _me_ to come back to. I'm her best friend!" Sasuke scowled and Naruto waved a hand dismissively, "Yeah, yeah, and you too, bastard – _I suppose_."

"Idiot," The Uchiha grunted as he finally moved forward, walking past the blonde to join Raiden and Isamu.

Isamu was running an aggravated hand through his shoulder-length dirty-blonde locks and Raiden was staring intently at the door, dark eyes narrowed in deep contemplation.

"…In the words of Souta…" Isamu sighed, "This _sucks_."

"Something is reinforcing this door," Raiden observed, rubbing a hand over his chin, "And it seems a lot heavier than the other staircase-doors I've opened."

"The ofudas?" Naruto inquired as he raised a hand and pressed it against the wood, closing his eyes and trying to call up chakra – but failing.

_BOOM_! _BOOM_! _CRASH_!

A collection of groans echoed and filled the empty hallways, resonating from the western corridor, muffled by the caved-in debris that blocked the path towards the southern wing.

"Time's running out," Daisuke warned, "Let's get that door open!"

Sasuke moved forward, stare roving across the hinges of the entry before sliding to the metal-rings that pulled it open. They were rusted but still sturdy.

_BOOM_! _BOOM_! _CRASH_!

The sound was closer now. And the following moans and hisses caused Naruto to surge forward and grab one of the metal-rings, grunting with effort as he pulled with all the strength he had.

"They're coming from the northeast stairs," Akio notified urgently before igniting a fierce fire jutsu.

"Cut the wood from the axels," Sasuke stated as he met his dark eyes with Raiden's and Isamu's, "Naruto and I will pull but we need to detach the metal from the wood so we can splinter it."

Raiden nodded, unsheathing a broadsword, while Isamu removed a tantō from his belt, "Alright."

Sasuke met Naruto's blue gaze and the Leaf shinobi shared a readying nod, before taking a metal-ring into each of their hands, and _pulled_. Naruto grunted and Sasuke held his breath, arms straining from the pressure as the sounds of Isamu and Raiden hacking against the wood echoed beside them.

"_Fuuton: Kaze no Suraisu_!"

"_Katon: Endan_!"

"_Katon: Hirappa_!"

_BOOM_! _BOOM_! _BANG_!

Raiden, Isamu, Naruto, and Sasuke all paused in their efforts, exchanging short, confused glances.

"Did that…" Isamu started hesitantly, "Did that sound just come from _this_ door?" He immediately put his ear to the door, brows furrowing as he tried to listen through the wood and above the groaning and moaning approaching from behind them.

"Do you think it might be _Corpses_?" Naruto questioned.

"It's a possibility," Raiden frowned, dark eyes darting between the door and the encroaching enemy Shin and Akio were desperately trying to hold back.

"I hear…noises," Isamu started, trying to press closer to the door to hear better, "I hear…_voices_? Screaming?"

"Screaming?" Naruto repeated, concerned.

_BANG_! _BANG_!

Their earpieces suddenly filled with static, _"–west stairwell, top floor_! _We're here_!–"

Raiden blinked, "Akemi?"

"_Please_!" The sound had been more distant, subdued, but the fear and desperation in that one word caused everyone's eyes to widen with realization.

Isamu instantly shouted through the door, "Hey!"

Silence greeted them and Sasuke waited impatiently for a response.

Isamu opened his mouth to try again, "Akemi-chan – is that you?"

Another moment of silence before the muffled response was given, and Raiden and Isamu were immediately returning their efforts in splintering the wood of the doors from the hinges.

"_Isamu-san_!"

Naruto moved closer to the doorway, yelling above the noise behind him in urgency, "Is Sakura-chan with you?"

"_She is_! _But sh-she's fighting! Hurry, _please!_ There are _Corpses_ and the _Shadow! _And we have no chakra_!"

Naruto and Sasuke shared another meaningful look before their hands curled around the metal-rings, pulling on it with renewed vigor as they listened intently for anything through the wooden barricade that signaled Akemi's and Sakura's condition.

"Okay, we'll get you out! We're working as fast as we can!" Naruto assured strongly, pulling and hearing the wood _crack_ and _creak_ under his and Sasuke's holds.

"Hurry up!" Akio shouted with tension, "We've got _Corpses_ on this side too – and they're adapting to our fire!"

"_Akemi, stand back_!" The sound of Sakura's voice – although muffled – caused Naruto and Sasuke to pull even harder, grunting with effort as their arms throbbed with the continued pressure.

Raiden's and Isamu's movements were becoming more harried as they stabbed their respective blades into the thick wood, uplifted as the more they cut through, the louder the _cracks_ and splintering of timber became.

"_HURRY_!" Akemi's voice was hysterical with panic and fear.

"Almost!" Raiden growled as he cut his sword with frantic energy.

_CRACK_!

"ALMOST!" Raiden repeated loudly.

_CRACK_!

They were so close and Naruto and Sasuke pulled with everything they had, knuckles white and arms shaking.

"_SAKURA-SAN_!"

Sasuke and Naruto stiffened as they heard the terror-filled scream – and, although muted, it echoed loudly in their ears. As anxiety and adrenaline shot through their veins, Sasuke growled savagely as he felt his palms burn and Naruto shouted ferociously as his biceps ached.

"_Come on_!" Isamu shouted with determination.

_CRACK_! _CRRACK_! _CRRRAAAACKKK_!

The timber, attached to the metal-rings Naruto and Sasuke held, fractured, and both men took a step back with the loss of resistance. However, their bodies crouched, without any pause, the two Leaf ninja pitched forward, ducking under the still-raining debris of wood and metal, running without reservations into the darkness of the stairwell.

Akemi fell backwards – having been pressed tightly against the door – and into the protective hold of Naruto, who curled his arms around her body – royal blue irises still trained ahead and widening with fear as he watched the _Shadow_ speed towards Sakura, arms outstretched with petrifying darkness and – _Kami, why wasn't she moving_?

"_SAKURA-CHAN_!"

Sasuke ran forward, unsheathing his Kusanagi, cursing the fact that he had no access to chakra to allow him the use of his fire jutsu. He watched with a stutter of his heart as the _Shadow_ collided into Sakura and her fighting stance – enveloping her into a sphere of complete darkness.

"_Sasuke_!" Naruto yelled in panic and the Uchiha cursed, knowing he couldn't blindly stab into the sphere or else he'd risk attacking his teammate. Naruto growled, "_What are you waiting for_?"

"I can't risk hurting her!" Sasuke countered angrily before throwing a flurry of kunai towards a group of approaching _Corpses_.

_SHRING_!

Onyx irises narrowed as he tried to see beyond the swirling mass of shadows, frowning when he could barely make out movements, heart pounding in his chest as he heard the _Shadow_'s triumphant hisses and Sakura's struggling grunts. He pinpointed the odd sound as metal quickly sliding against metal but couldn't discern _where_ it was coming from and _how_.

_SHRING_! _SHRING_! _SHRING_…_Sizzle_.

A sudden red glow broke through the darkness of the sphere and Sasuke was able to _glimpse_ Sakura within, holding a burning kunai in her left hand. She raised it with a scowl, striking it straight through the _Shadow_'s left breast, and watching it light up both their expressions. The _Creature_ grinned maniacally and Sakura sneered.

Sakura had physically lit an _exploding-tagged_ kunai by the _spark_ of quick friction of metal against the blade of her tantō.

The red-glow of the tag's fire burned brighter and Sasuke counted three-seconds until a contained explosion within the shadow-sphere shook the area. The _Shadow _flew backwards with a raging scream, disappearing into the darkness of the stairwell, _Corpses_ blown back from the blast with her. Sakura shot out of the billowing smoke in the opposite direction – and into Sasuke's strong and protective embrace.

"_Sakura_!"

Sasuke quickly shifted her in his hold, hooking his right arm under her knees and propping her lower back with his left. He looked down at her, searching, raking his stare across her body, grip tightening as he noticed the blood drenching her front, the burn marks marring her skin, and a bite mark on her neck that shifted gruesomely every time she _breathed_.

'_She's mine now…'_

The Uchiha looked up, his dark eyes filled with murderous intent as they stared into the smug expression of the _Shadow_ as she crawled forward on the top steps of the stairwell. Her grin made him wary as her gaze flickered to the woman in his arms, and he wanted nothing more to take the Kusanagi still gripped in his right hand and run it through her skin.

"S-Sasuke-kun…" Sakura whispered with weakened effort.

"_Sasuke-san_!" Isamu shouted behind him, "We need to _go_!"

Grunting, and with another fierce glare thrown towards the _Shadow_, Sasuke turned on his heel and ran out of the stairwell, following the lantern-light Isamu carried, watching Daisuke, Shin, Akio, and Raiden perform a combined attack that slightly cleared the corridor, and trailed behind Naruto – who guided a shivering Akemi further down the hall and through the threshold of their base of operations. Souta was halfway stepped out as he wheeled his arm in a hurrying gesture.

"…S-Sasuke-kun…" Sakura tried again, her shuddering breath spraying wetly across his neck, "N-Naruto…"

"I-Is she okay?" Akemi called out worriedly, tears streaming down her face as she was led by Naruto to a side of the room where she could sit down – though her olive irises never strayed from the woman in Sasuke's arms, "S-Sakura-san?"

_SLAM_!

The door closed loudly, signaling everyone's safety within the room, and Daisuke was quick to execute a series of hand signs, activating the ofuda-barriers with extra reinforcement.

"We need medics!" Isamu called and Kasumi was immediately by Akemi's side, unwrapping the bindings and splint from Akemi's leg, brows furrowing as she poured healing chakra into the badly-bruised and still-bleeding wound.

"Hey, how is she?" Naruto asked as he hurried over to Sasuke, royal blue irises skittering over Sakura's body and frowning deeply at what he saw, "Sakura-chan?"

Her emerald eyes were half-lidded and cloudy; she blinked sluggishly in the direction of Naruto's voice before a flinch wracked her body and she moaned in obvious pain. Naruto quickly pulled on Sasuke's shoulder, leading the Uchiha to another of the attached rooms and pointing to a corner where his jacket was laid out.

"Put her down here," The blonde looked over his shoulder, "Shin!" He looked back to Sakura and touched her right cheek gently; blood smearing onto his fingertips as she hazily looked at him, "Stay with us, Sakura-chan, alright?" His blue eyes were collecting moisture but he was trying his best to hold the tears back.

Sasuke laid out Sakura on Naruto's jacket as gently as he could, wincing himself when her breathing hitched from her shifting injuries, "Sakura," His voice was soft and he watched as her green eyes slowly slide back towards him, "…You can't–" He exhaled sharp and heavy, bowing his head and shaking it, "You just…_can_'_t_."

"You're hopeless, bastard," Naruto muttered through a watery grin.

Sasuke didn't have the strength to glare. Instead, he kept his eyes trained on Sakura's, watching the brightened green begin to dim with unawareness. A sudden movement across from him signaled Shin's arrival and he was efficient in checking Sakura's body – gray eyes immediately drawn to the bite wound at her neck.

"W-Will she be okay?" Naruto asked fearfully, reaching out and taking her left hand in his, rubbing a thumb across her clammy palm.

"She's suffered a lot of blood loss," Shin informed as he hovered a green-glowing hand across Sakura's collarbone, "Naruto-san, I'll need some soldier pills. Kasumi's pack, please."

"Sure thing," He replied readily, hastily getting to his feet and running off to retrieve the items.

"…Fascinating," Shin whispered.

"What is it?" Sasuke questioned.

"Sakura-san's reserves have only _just_ returned to her body when she left the stairwell," The older male explained, "Yet she's already trying to _heal_ herself. It seems to be an unconscious mechanism but, it just goes to show, that she is a true expert of her field."

Sasuke looked down at the kunoichi who continued to blink sleepily at the ceiling – though the fact remained that she was still trying to fight unconsciousness.

"Here! I got them!"

Naruto knelt down beside Shin, his right hand extended and revealing a small, glass bottle filled with tiny, black pills that Sasuke recognized as _soldier pills_ – which helped replenish chakra reserves; taking it would help with her body's natural healing, especially since she was without chakra for an extended amount of time.

Sasuke gingerly helped Sakura sit up, who whimpered and allowed Shin enough clue that her left leg was also bitten, which he quickly began to heal. Naruto rummaged through his pack and produced a water bottle, removed a black pill from the glass vial, and brought the small ball to her bloody-chapped lips.

"Come on, Sakura-chan," Naruto urged softly, pushing the object through her lips before following with the water bottle.

Again, Sakura moaned but swallowed the pill with Naruto's patient coaxing, Sasuke's hand unconsciously sweeping along her back in silent support. She flinched again as her body was slowly set back into a lying position, prompting Naruto to lift her shirt and reveal another bite mark on her left waist.

"What happened down there?" Naruto whispered as he stared at the bleeding indentations marked gruesomely into her pale skin.

"Whatever _did_ happen, it really spooked Akemi-nee-chan," Souta stopped beside Sasuke's sitting form, a bundle of jackets held in his arms; he extended it in offering, "For a pillow. It's not much but…" He sighed, smiling weakly, "…It's the _least_ I can do for saving Akemi-nee-chan."

Naruto grinned and leaned over, gratefully taking the bundle of clothes and gently propping it behind Sakura's head, "Thanks, Souta."

Souta nodded once, satisfied, and turned on his heel to rejoin the others, heading straight for Akemi, who was hunched against the wall, arms curled around her body and Akio's jackets slung over her shoulder. Akio sat close, at her direct right, and Raiden sat at her left, facing her and speaking in low tones that were responded in nods or jerks of her head.

"I've finished with the open wounds," Shin informed as he slowly stood up, "All she'll need now is some rest." When both Naruto and Sasuke nodded with accepted understanding, Shin walked away, leaving the members of Team Kakashi to themselves.

Naruto shifted so that he was sitting where Shin had occupied, gazing down at the blearily blinking woman with a mixture of worry and relief. He leaned over to better catch her attention and looked into her cloudy eyes.

"Hey, Sakura-chan," He whispered, running a hand through her hair, streaking the red blood through her pink tresses, "You're safe now. Sasuke-teme and I will protect you. So rest now."

Her body seemed to lose some of its tension, relaxing under his tender ministrations, blinking once before sliding her gaze towards Sasuke. Her right hand slowly reached out, crawling to the side before tugging weakly on the fabric of his pants. Sasuke instantly grasped her hand within his own, enveloping her cold palm into the warmth of his hold.

"You're safe, Sakura," Sasuke repeated softly in assurance, never breaking her cloudy eye-contact.

"Close your eyes, Sakura-chan," Naruto advised gently, smiling, "We'll be waiting right here, when you wake up. Promise."

With a final shuddering breath, Sakura nodded her head ever so slightly before closing her eyes, ceasing her struggles and letting unconsciousness finally take her. Her hand went lax in Sasuke's hold and the Uchiha had to actively remind himself that she was _only sleeping_.

"…Kami, Sakura-chan's tough," Naruto complimented proudly as a grin broke across his features, "She survived the underground levels of hell. That's our girl."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, keeping one hand around Sakura's while the other took the discarded water bottle and removed a wash cloth from another bag; and then, with a gentleness not many knew Uchiha Sasuke possessed, he began to clean off the blood that decorated her soft skin.

"But I'm really glad she's safe," Naruto admitted seriously, helpfully brushing back her hair when Sasuke took the cloth to her face, "It's not Team Kakashi without her, you know?"

"…Aa," Sasuke agreed softly, pushing up her shirt just a fraction so he could clean the crimson that was also painted there.

"And we're invincible," Naruto continued with a more brightened grin, "When the three of us are together, we are," He shrugged good-naturedly as his grin remained, "Kaka-sensei, Sai, and Yamato-taicho too…And two of them will be here soon enough."

Sasuke didn't say anything, silently running a hand down an indentation of bite marks on her side, a frown tugging his lips.

"Sakura-chan's amazing," Naruto whispered softly, prompting Sasuke to glance up at his blonde best friend, only to find his royal blue eyes gazing affectionately at the resting woman, "I'm really lucky to have her as one of my best friends…"

Sasuke shifted uncomfortably as he studied the _glint_ in Naruto's eyes; in fact, the way Naruto had _behaved_ once Sakura had returned to them – the care and gentleness and _love_ – was something he couldn't help but notice. His mouth opened in slight hesitation, "…You've always loved her."

Naruto blinked and looked back at Sasuke with curiosity, "Yeah; always have and _always will_."

"Then why didn't you two…" The Uchiha trailed off and his gaze wandered to Sakura's limp hand, wondering _why_ having it in his hold made him anxious when Naruto had done it _so many times before _without trouble.

Naruto smirked, "Yeah, I was in love with Sakura-chan, I won't deny that. But Sakura-chan didn't see me the way I saw her and I accepted that. So I opened myself up to other options and it led me to love Hinata-chan," Naruto shrugged, "There'll always be a special place just for her but I've moved on too and I'm happy about it – because I found someone who can love me just as equally as I love her: something that Sakura-chan couldn't give me. I won't stop loving her because she didn't love me, but I'll let her go so we can both find the people who deserve our respective feelings."

Naruto shifted so that he could lean against the adjacent wall and Sasuke was suddenly reminded of the surrounding moans and groans from the blood-thirsty _Corpses_ just outside of their ward-protected rooms. Disturbing shadows elongated across the shojis that led to the veranda, and their comrades stood several yards away, quietly discussing their next plan of action.

"…You're a lucky guy, Sasuke-teme. Don't take advantage of it," Naruto studied Sakura, his soft voice interrupting the Uchiha's thoughts, "Don't take advantage of _her_," He directed his stare back to Sasuke and gave him a challenging look, "Or I'll beat you into the ground, bastard."

Sasuke reflexively scoffed before looking back at Sakura, "…Idiot."

"Oh, you know you love me," Naruto chuckled teasingly but silence followed and the men of Team Kakashi reveled in the fact that they were all still _alive_ and within close distance of both their teammates.

Sasuke set aside the damp towel he had been using to cleanse Sakura of her blood-stains and retook her right hand in both of his. Her skin was cold and he tightened his grasp to help warm her. He watched the steady rise and fall of her chest, and blocked out the images of the _Shadow_ embracing her in darkness. However, he couldn't help but let her hissing words echo in his mind.

'_She's mine now…'_

"No," Sasuke muttered lowly as he stared at Sakura with intense dark eyes – effectively catching Naruto's curious attentions – the Uchiha hesitantly raised his left hand and caressed it over the marks left on Sakura's collarbone, up her neck, and through her pink hair, "They won't have you. I won't let them…"

Sakura shifted, moving her head closer, into Sasuke's touch, and Naruto turned away from the scene, and let the smile on his face grow.

* * *

Akemi blinked down at her shredded leggings, the skin beneath a little bruised but _unmarred_ by the stark-white of bone and the deep-red of blood. Experimentally, she lifted and stretched the limb, feeling no repercussions from the movements and even allowing a little chakra to flow steadily throughout her system to confirm that it had returned to her body. Without pain of injuries or the helplessness of lacking chakra, Akemi couldn't help but feel like the past few hours in the underground levels were but a dream – no…a _nightmare_.

But it was like she had woken up – yet the frown remained on her lips, deepening as she ran an index finger lightly across the once-broken skin.

She couldn't – _wouldn't_ – forget what had happened, especially with what Sakura had to do in order to keep her safe. She licked her dry lips as she traced her fingers along a group of indentations on her right arm before opening up her right palm for her viewing, remembering the warmth and security that Sakura's hold provided. A tear slid down her cheek – without Haruno Sakura, she would undoubtedly be _dead_.

"Hey," A gloved hand reached out and took the hand she had held up for examination; her olive eyes blinking before panning upward to connect with Akio's, "If you need to talk about anything, Akemi, I'm here."

"…I know," She finally answered in a soft whisper.

"What happened down there?" Akio asked, hesitant but curious.

Olive eyes flickered across the room to see Team Kakashi sitting in silence, Sasuke watching diligently over Sakura's supine form, and Naruto only feet away in protective vigil, "…It's kind of a blur, Akio."

"Don't talk about it if you don't want to, Akemi," Raiden amended softly at her right as he watched her eyes glaze over with memory.

Akio instantly nodded his agreement, "Yeah, I'll understand. I don't want to push you."

Akemi blinked and shook her head, "…It's just – I wouldn't know where to _start_. It was dark and we were attacked and there was blood and we _ran_. It was one thing after another. There was a girl who wouldn't stop crying and a mob of _corpse children_ and the screams were just…" She trailed off with another shake of her head.

"…Well, shit," Akio breathed, leaning back against the wooden ramparts, "That sounds like…" He shook his head much like his sister and sighed, "Just_…Shit_."

"I apologize, Akemi," Raiden whispered, "It was my fault."

Akemi's brows furrowed, "You didn't know, Raiden. It's not your fault."

"But I should have known _better_," Raiden countered self-destructively.

"Please," Akemi whispered as she shut her eyes, "_Please_ just stop. It's over now. Let's just move past it, okay?"

Raiden sighed, albeit reluctantly and guiltily, but nodded his head nonetheless, "Alright."

And Akemi curled her hand tighter around her brother's, using the hold as an anchor to reality and an assurance that she was back in the presence of _multiple_ comrades – protected by ofudas and surrounded by the people she cared for and was cared by.

"…I'm afraid of the dark…" Akemi admitted and both Raiden and Akio looked at her with respective curiosity and surprise; she squeezed Akio's hand tighter and blindly reached for Raiden's with the other; briefly, her eyes, flicked off to the side where Souta was sitting – and listening intently – and she met her olive irises with puzzled chocolate, "I'm afraid of the dark. So…don't let the darkness take me and, _damn it_, don't let it take you all too."

After several moments, Raiden's and Akio's hands squeezed hers in reply, and Souta allowed a shaky smile to lift a corner of his lips, "It's a deal, Akemi-nee-chan."

* * *

Isamu leaned against the wall, beside the door that led to the north wing hallway. His arms were crossed over his chest and his grey-blue eyes were trained on the floor, brows furrowed with thought as he half-listened to the moaning and groaning, and the occasional bumping and stumbling, sounding from the other side of the wall he was propped up against. His gaze flickered upward to the shoji doors directly across from him, the light of the lantern allowing the shadow of the _Creature_ to loom eerily across the paper-thin barricade.

"This is _stupid_," Takeru muttered, leaning against the wall to the right of Isamu and glaring at the floor, "We're in the fucking _heart_ of all this mess and we're holed up in _here_ – doing jack-shit."

"By all means," Daisuke murmured grumpily – clearly not in the mood as he waved a hand at the door Isamu stood beside, "Go out there and _explore away_, Takeru. Let's see how long you last."

"Daisuke," Shin reprimanded sternly, even when his tone had been quiet – the dark-haired male was sitting nearer to the center of the room, an empty scroll laid out before him as he began to draw a decent map of the castle's interior design.

"We shouldn't split up when we have all just regrouped," Kasumi pointed out from her position across from Shin, her light blue eyes following his progress of the map, "There isn't much more we can do. And Sakura-san's safety and health is a priority."

Isamu's gaze reflexively flickered to the left – towards the next room over – and glimpsed the Konoha ninja gathered closely together. Naruto was leaned back, eyes closed, but chakra sill roiling with consciousness. Sasuke's head was bowed, his back towards the Rain shinobi, but undoubtedly keeping close watch on Sakura, who was still lost to the world in blissful unawareness. From the snatches of conversation he had heard from Akemi – and the various injuries the Suzuki twin and Leaf kunoichi had emerged from the underground levels with – he had no doubt that what they had faced was _far_ from pleasant.

'_Quite brave…'_ The dirty-blonde male couldn't help but think.

"This has all gone to _shit_," Takeru grumbled characteristically, "We've entered this hellhole for _nothing_ except for useless information that we didn't have to risk our _lives_ for. All I know is that we have a fucking _traitor_ in our midst," He threw a glare across the room, "Wouldn't be surprised if it's that damned _Uchiha_–"

"You know what, Takeru, shut the _hell_ up," Daisuke growled, navy irises piercing straight through coal, "How about I point all my fingers towards _you_? You haven't been the most _ideal_ comrade lately. _You_ could be just as much a traitor as _anyone else_!"

"_Daisuke_," Shin warned once more – this time raising his eyes to fix Dai _and_ Takeru a hard glare, "_Takeru_. Both of you – _stop_."

"I'm just _saying_," Takeru grouched, crossing his arms over his chest, "We're wasting our fucking time just sitting here and doing _nothing_."

"Then what do you propose we do?" Surprisingly, it was Isamu who spoke, his tone filled with genuine curiosity for the older male's response.

Takeru directed a mean glare at the Rain ninja but Isamu remained unaffected, blinking with innocent inquisitiveness as he unflinchingly met his gaze. Takeru then turned away with an unintelligible mumble, but Isamu could have sworn he heard _'I wasn't talking to you, damn it'_. The Rain Jounin, however, let the statement slide off him with a careless shrug.

Dai suddenly ran an irritated hand through his brown hair, "Damn it, I hate to agree but maybe Takeru is right. We should be doing something! We're _here_, _now_, so we should be taking advantage of it!"

"Exploration under these conditions is dangerous, Dai," Raiden replied from the other end of the room. A sweeping glance towards him and he found Akemi leaning her head against his shoulder, having succumbed to sleep, though her left hand remained tight around her brother's, who was speaking softly with Souta.

"There must be something," Dai pointed out desperately, "Tests? Observation? _Something_!"

Again, Isamu's grey-blue eyes slid towards Team Kakashi. Sakura remained motionless and Sasuke and Naruto were speaking in low voices. Apparently, they hadn't been oblivious to Takeru's ranting as Naruto glared royal-blue irises in the older Bird shinobi's direction.

"…The Throne Room."

All eyes shifted towards Shin, who was staring down at his map, tapping the wooden tip of his paintbrush against the unknown territory of the ground floor.

"Were you able to find out what was inside?" Shin continued as he looked over his shoulder towards Raiden.

The Bird Jounin shook his head in response, "No. Sakura-san examined it and said there was something blocking the entryway from opening."

"It's a rather large space," Kasumi observed as she glanced down at the map, "Perhaps something of importance could be housed inside?"

"Then maybe we should find a way to get in there," Daisuke suggested, sitting up straighter.

"It's still too dangerous," Raiden pointed out as he shook his head.

"We can send Takeru," Akio spoke up, a smirk twitching his lips as he bravely met Takeru's glower, "He seems eager to get shit done. Aren't you?"

"Shut up, _brat_."

"All bark and no bite," Souta muttered softly.

"We should wait until morning to explore it," Shin stated as he looked over his shoulder towards the ominous shadow of the _Creature_. It had shifted, standing closer to Team Kakashi, positioned so that it looked like it was staring right at Sakura's sleeping figure. Naruto was scowling, verbally debating with Sasuke about _'doing something about it_'.

"Everything happens at _night_," Daisuke argued firmly, "_This_ is the time to do what we need to."

"What's your plan then, Daisuke?" Shin challenged, "What is it, do you think we can do, given the situation?"

Dai shook his head, running another irritated hand through his hair, "I don't know. What about the _chakra armor_? Let's use it to our advantage."

"We have never used those wards in the presence of the enemy," Kasumi pointed out, "It was given to us as a last resort _protection_; not to use to actively go into danger."

"I understand Sakura-san's reasoning," Dai explained patiently, "But if we have the tools, we should use them."

"And who's going to be willing to wield those tools?" Raiden questioned; when Akio and Souta hesitantly raised their hands Raiden fixed them with hard glares, "You two aren't able to maintain the _chakra armor_, put your hands down," Both boys scowled but did as told; Raiden returned his attention to Dai, "Team Kakashi isn't in their right mind to go out there – Sakura-san is injured and Naruto-san and Sasuke-san will not leave her side; _my_ chakra is too depleted to maintain the wards, and Kasumi and Shin used their reserves to help heal Sakura-san and Akemi. Akemi is completely out of the question."

"Of course _I_ would go," Daisuke reasoned, "It's not like I haven't been out there before."

"Not with untested use of the _chakra armor_," Shin indicated seriously, "And not _alone_."

"…I'll go with him."

All eyes snapped towards Isamu. The Rain ninja's eyes were trained on Shin's map, lips twisted with thought. Slowly, he raised his gaze to connect it with everyone else's in the room.

"You have never practiced using the _chakra armor_, Isamu-san," Kasumi stated.

Isamu shrugged, "It can't be that hard," He scratched the back of his neck, "I mean, give me an hour to practice a bit," He looked around, "We're not going anywhere, anyway, right? And we have all night…?" He trailed off, waiting for any kind of debate.

"Sounds like a plan," Daisuke stated after a few beats of silence, grinning.

"…I'll go too."

All eyes snapped towards Takeru with obvious surprise.

"…_What_?" He growled, turning away to avoid their blatant staring, "I fucking brought it up anyway. So I'll go."

"…Whoa, did I just…_die_ or something? I've got to be dreaming…" Souta murmured as he pinched his arm and flinched, "Kami…I'm awake."

"Shut your _trap_!" Takeru scowled.

"Alright," Dai spoke after getting over his own shock, "Both of you follow me. Let's get a little practice in to use the wards."

Isamu nodded and Takeru grunted, both pushing off their respective walls and following Dai into another room, past Team Kakashi, and settling themselves in a place to obtain the best concentration they could manage. The Rain ninja side-glanced Takeru warily as the older male's harsh features briefly met his grey-blue gaze in an expression of impatient expectance. Isamu quickly looked away and did his best to hold in an amused chuckle.

Working alongside a _willing_ Kurosawa Takeru – he didn't think it was _possible_. Yet in the probable words of the gruff-and-tough Bird shinobi – _whatever it takes to get shit done_.

Forgive him, but Takeshi Isamu couldn't help but allow a soft, incredulous snort to escape him.

* * *

Naruto curiously watched the three shinobi sitting quietly together the next room over. He and Sasuke hadn't been oblivious to the conversation that had transpired between their other comrades. It was no surprise that Dai – and Takeru – were eager to continue their mission of exploration and discovery. Isamu was a strange guy to willingly volunteer but Naruto probably would have done the same thing if it meant getting answers. However, just as Raiden stated, he wasn't about to leave Sakura's side – _especially_ when he promised her that he would be there when she finally woke up.

"What do you think they'll find?" Naruto questioned lightly, observing as Takeru cursed as his control on the _chakra armor_ sputtered out after two minutes, "In the Throne Room?"

Sasuke didn't know – so he didn't answer; which really didn't surprise Naruto.

"You know what?" Naruto continued as he delivered a short glare over his left shoulder to the _Shadow_ standing just beyond the shoji, "I haven't heard a thing concerning the _Little Girl_. Where do you think she is?"

Again, Sasuke didn't know – so, once again, he didn't answer. Naruto shifted his gaze to stare at the silent Uchiha; expression softening as he watched his best friend whose dark eyes never wavered from Sakura's slackened features, right hand having _yet_ to release hers.

"…You love her," Naruto whispered, echoing Sasuke's earlier observation. Obsidian irises flickered towards him briefly and his shoulders hunched forward, lips tugging downward with an expression Naruto recognized as discomfort.

Sasuke didn't know…but–

"…I…" His voice was soft and he paused, "…I…"

–at least he _tried_ to answer.

Naruto smiled sympathetically, "…You know, it's okay to care about someone – it's okay to _love_ someone."

Sasuke's frown deepened and his thumb brushed against Sakura's knuckles, "…People I care about, people I've _loved_, it's like a curse upon them. Bad things always seem to happen."

Naruto matched his frown – though he was grateful that the typically-silent Uchiha was opening up to him, "…Hey, _I'm_ okay, aren't I? Team Kakashi is fine. And we've already acknowledged how tough Sakura-chan is. She can handle herself," He grinned, "Give her some credit; she can definitely handle _you_, bastard."

Sasuke shook his head, a slight upward pull tilting his lips, "…Idiot."

Naruto smirked, but his eyes held seriousness as he caught Sasuke's gaze, "But hey – we could die tomorrow if tonight hasn't already shown us the dangerous _'what-ifs'_ that we can face. So, like I said earlier, don't take advantage of it," He smiled encouragingly, "No regrets."

Naruto's final words caused Sasuke's hold on Sakura's hand to reflexively tighten. He looked down at her pale face and reached out his left hand to caress her soft cheek.

Haruno Sakura was the intelligent girl who used to follow him during their youth. She was the girl who cut her hair to protect her teammates. She was the girl who stood up to him when he was about to make the stupidest decision of his life by leaving the Hidden Leaf. She was the girl who trained diligently and trailed him with determination so she could bring him back home. Haruno Sakura was the _woman_ who remained by his side during his darkest hours; she was the woman who took a blade for him to protect him; the woman who _told_ him her views of his actions and opened his eyes. Sakura was the woman who fought for him during his trials against the Shinobi Countries; the woman who urged him back into Konoha's society; the woman who trained with him and healed him and kept him _sane_ whenever Naruto was around. Haruno Sakura was the woman who _forgave_ him of his transgressions, resolutely stood by his side, and defended him and his worth as a shinobi and as a _person_. Sakura – who allowed him to stay at her house after difficult missions; who cooked him dinner when he wasn't his healthiest; who healed his wounds without consideration to her own; who spoke to him with easiness and without fear or condescending; who walked beside him without regard to the whispers and rumors; and who stared at him with genuine kindness and care. Haruno Sakura was the woman who _never stopped loving him_.

She was far too good for him. Yet – _no more regrets_. He wanted to be selfish.

Decidedly, Sasuke nodded his head once, "Aa." Naruto watched the Uchiha's lips quirk upwards once more before running his left hand gently through her pink hair, "I love her."

Naruto grinned brightly, "Oh yeah, I definitely believe it."

* * *

**A/N:** YES, THIS IS MUCH DIFFERENT THAN WHAT I HAD INITIALLY WRITTEN, BUT I LIKE THIS VERSION BETTER, YO! I apologize for that whole Chapter Twenty-Nine fake-out. It was really an Author's Note that had informed my readers that I was rewriting the last few pages of the previous chapter and this new revision DEFINTELY lays out the groundwork for the future chapters better than the last one, which felt a lot more rushed.

I did want to add that last bit about Sakura's _condition_ in this chapter but I think it would have dragged on a bit and would have ruined the moment of Sasuke's revelation. I'm being vague about it in this Author's Note in case there are new readers that didn't read the _older version_ of Chapter Twenty-Eight. **BECAUSE OF ALL THE CONFUSION AND AS APOLOGY** I'm hoping to **UPDATE THE NEXT CHAPTER** within 3-4 days. I really am sorry for the misunderstanding guys, but I really hope you guys like this revised version better! In my Author's Note I mentioned that I don't do rewrites usually but I wrote Chapter Twenty-Eight at around 3AM and then posted it without too much thought – which is bad to the OCD side of me who HATED the chapter after I reread it in my more awake moments…

**BUT ANYWAYS** I hope you liked this chapter, I'll update again ASAP!

**AND OMG 1000 REVIEWS!** _**YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST! THANK YOU!**_

**Next Update:** 3-5 Days

**Next Chapter:** _Chapter Thirty: Contact_

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto and Company – only the Original Characters and Plot.

**Twitter:** DreamCreateLove

**Tumblr:** SincerelyLen

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**~Len**


	30. Contact

**The Curse**

_**Chapter Thirty: Contact**_

* * *

'…_You're ours, Haruno Sakura…'_

'…_You're ours…'_

'…_Your body. Your chakra…'_

'…_You are…'_

'_Ours.'_

* * *

Naruto sighed, running a hand through his blonde spikes as he absently looked around the room he and his comrades had barricaded themselves into for the night. Raiden, Kasumi, and Shin were huddled together around a lantern and Shin's crudely-made, but efficient map. They spoke in low voices as they pointed at various areas on the parchment. Akemi and Akio sat against the far wall, the female twin asleep against her brother's shoulder, while Akio conversed with Souta, the youngest idly sharpening his tantō and kunai.

To Naruto's right, isolated in the adjacent room, Daisuke was overseeing Isamu's and Takeru's progress with using the ofudas as _chakra armor_. Occasionally, Naruto would glance over and listen in, discovering that Isamu was quite adept with maintaining his chakra and a very fast-learner. Takeru was struggling a little more but he wasn't to be outdone by the Rain Jounin, using an incredible amount of willpower and perseverance to catch up in his learning.

Shifting his gaze to his fellow Leaf comrades Naruto couldn't help but let a smile curl his lips. The Uchiha hadn't moved from his spot since first settling there. His right hand remained coiled around Sakura's, dark irises staring with gentle fondness for the woman lying in rest beside him. He wasn't sure how long she was going to be unconscious but there wasn't much to be done until the morning arrived.

'_But damn,_'Naruto grinned in happiness; '_The bastard finally admitted his feelings for Sakura-chan_!'

"Okay, a few more rounds for practice," Daisuke declared, attracting Naruto's attention once more, "We'll leave in half an hour – after a short rest to replenish your reserves."

_Creak_.

Naruto turned his head, glancing over his left shoulder to offer a glare to the dark shadow that the _Creature_ cast across the shoji behind him. It had steadily been moving closer and closer to their group as the night progressed, standing in eerie silence as it undoubtedly stared at where Sakura was resting. Beside him, Sasuke had also frowned with irritation, but didn't deign the silhouette with a glower – instead keeping his focus entirely on their female comrade.

'…_Can you hear me, Haruno Sakura…?'_

Naruto's and Sasuke's frown deepened as the hissing yet guttural voice spoke and they could practically _hear_ the grin in her speech. It was the first statement the _Shadow_ had uttered since taking her haunting stand just outside of the shoji door. Her question had caused _all_ heads to turn towards them – Raiden and his teammates paused in their exchange to watch with concern; Souta and Akio stiffened with readiness as they warily examined the dark outline; Takeru's concentration broke with a scathing swear; Isamu's brows furrowed with controlled irritation; and Daisuke observed Team Kakashi and their tormenter with calculating navy irises.

'…_You belong to us now, Haruno Sakura…'_ The _Shadow_ continued, and it was followed by a dark chuckle, filled with amusement and taunt and _triumph_.

Naruto's brows creased with confusion, "_What_ is she talking about?"

Sasuke, however, was staring at Sakura intently; dark irises glazed over with memory of what the _Creature_ had said when they had been in the northwestern stairwell.

'_She's mine now…'_

Why was she speaking as if she was already in possession of Sakura? In the past, the _Creature_ and _Little Girl_ desired for her – _craved_ for her – speaking in the tense of it coming to be – in the _future_.

'…_Can you hear me, Haruno Sakura?'_ It questioned, voice softer but no less menacing – its shadow moved closer, so close that she was pressed against the shoji and activating the light-blue electricity of the protective ofudas.

Sasuke watched as Sakura subtly shifted and the _Creature_'s amused and dark chuckle returned – which disturbingly caused Sakura's moving to become more prominent, her expression scrunching up with discomfort and fear. He tightened his hold on her hand to help calm her but a small whimper escaped her lips in response. Within the light of the nearby lantern, Sasuke noticed how pale Sakura's face had become, darkened circles under her eyes, and her cheek cold when he reached out to touch her.

What was wrong with her?

"The _fuck_," Naruto growled, glaring at the _Shadow_, "All that talking is waking up Sakura-chan. I just want to a put a _Rasengan_ into her stomach and_ just_–" Naruto didn't finish his sentence but his desires were quite clear.

Unfortunately, Sasuke couldn't agree with Naruto's observations. The simple act of _talking_ wasn't what was bothering Sakura – in fact, it looked like something _internal_, triggered by the words that the _Creature_ was speaking, was causing Sakura's distress.

'…_Wake up…'_ The _Shadow_ whispered creepily, _'Wake up…Haruno Sakura.'_

A sudden inhalation of breath – a _gasping_ lungful for air – startled everyone. Raiden, Shin, and Kasumi were immediately on their feet; Akio's and Souta's eyes were wide with surprise; Isamu and Daisuke surged forward from where they had been watching in the adjacent room; and Takeru was glaring at the _Shadow_ accusingly.

Naruto was instantly by Sakura's side and Sasuke had taken both of Sakura's hands into his own, leaning over her so she could look straight into his eyes. She was still gulping for air, emerald irises widened as they darted around uncertainly of her surroundings, fear crossing her expression as she clutched at whatever held her hands. Behind them, the _Shadow_ began to cackle maniacally – _knowingly_ – before returning to her ominous, but attentive, silence.

"W-What just _happened_?" Souta whispered distantly.

"I don't know," Akio responded, at a complete loss.

"Sakura," Sasuke acknowledged firmly, grabbing her attention and keeping her focus entirely on him, "Calm down; it's _us_."

"Yeah, Sakura-chan," Naruto added in reassuringly as he moved into her sights, "We're here – just like we promised!"

"Uzumaki-san," Naruto turned his head to find Kasumi holding out a bottle of water for him, which he gratefully took. Raiden began to usher everyone back to their original activites, especially now that Sakura was beginning to calm down upon Sasuke's quiet coaxing.

"That was quite strange," Shin murmured as he walked beside Raiden, back towards the general area where Akio, Akemi and Souta were still seated.

"Indeed," Raiden agreed gravely, casting one more concerned glance over his shoulder. Sakura had quieted and was drinking from the water bottle Naruto held out to her, and the _Creature_ had become mute in her frightening vigil just _feet_ away from the Leaf kunoichi.

"That was creepy, yeah?" Isamu verbalized, casting worried grey-blue irises towards Team Kakashi, a frown tugging his lips when he realized how pale Sakura was, "Poor Sakura-san."

Takeru grunted but didn't say anything, eyes downcast as he glared at the spent ofudas laid out in front of him. Daisuke couldn't remove his gaze from Sakura, brows steepened as he studied her shaky – _fidgety_ – form, the way her eyes darted everywhere, and the anxiousness that crossed her expression seemed _all too familiar_ to him.

"Dai; _hurry up_," Takeru growled, "You're wasting our time just standing there!"

Daisuke blinked his navy eyes, gave one more calculating scan of Sakura, and reluctantly turned away, sitting down beside Isamu to continue their improvement with their _chakra armor_ training.

"Alright…Let's continue, then; one more time."

* * *

Sakura wouldn't stop shivering. Naruto's jacket had been draped over her shoulders and Sasuke had retrieved a thin blanket from his pack, cocooning her further into woolen heat. She hadn't spoken a word since waking and she had been moved to the opposite side of the room – away from the shoji – so she could lean comfortably against the wooden wall. Her green eyes wouldn't stop darting around, always landing on the shadowed silhouette of the _Creature_, hands fidgeting beneath the layers of her warmth.

Naruto sat on her left and Sasuke on her right, both men dutifully guarding their anxious, female comrade. Royal blue eyes shifted towards her every few _seconds_, brows furrowing with concern as Sakura continued to shudder and uncomfortably squirm in her spot. Sasuke was glaring at the outline of the _Shadow_, though every brush of Sakura's trembling form caused his vision to shift towards her, frowning as her body shook and her sights darted to every single movement that caught the slightest of her attentions.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto called gently – and her eyes shifted towards him briefly before moving towards Isamu when he scratched a hand through his hair, "What's wrong?"

Sakura didn't answer but the question seemed to trigger something within her and she swallowed hard before closing her eyes and bowing her head. Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a glance before moving closer towards her, trying to see beyond the veil of pink hair that covered her expression.

"Sakura-chan?"

"…It's nothing," Sakura whispered softly – her voice decidedly steady – she shook her head, "I'm fine."

Naruto didn't look convinced, "Are you sure?"

Sakura nodded, "I am; I'm sorry; I was just hearing voices…Probably from that nightmare I woke up from," She lifted her head and Sasuke was relieved to see a little more clarity in them, even if her skin was still troublingly pale, "I'm sorry."

"Ah, don't apologize, Sakura-chan," Naruto placated.

She huddled closer into the warmth of Naruto's jacket and Sasuke's blanket, breathing in their scents with comfort. Curiously, she looked between her two teammates. Sasuke was wearing a long-sleeve black shirt that looked a little thin and Naruto was clad in a dark blue t-shirt, arms exposed to the open air.

"I'm _freezing_," Sakura confessed with confusion, "Aren't you two?"

Naruto frowned down at his arms and shook his head, "Not at all. It's kind of warm actually. Sasuke?"

The Uchiha shook his own head; his response was honest, "I'm fine."

Sakura's gaze wandered, letting the subject drop as her emerald irises landed on the Suzuki twins, a relieved smile curling her lips when she noticed Akemi healed and sleeping peacefully, Akio seated at her side in obvious protection of his sister.

Another shiver wracked the medical kunoichi's body and a shuddered breath escaped her lips. Obsidian and royal blue eyes slid towards her and Naruto reached out a hand to touch her forehead, frowning when she visibly flinched from the contact.

"You're _really_ cold, Sakura-chan," Naruto half-yelped, half-whispered with alarm.

"I'm f-fine," Sakura argued, but the stutter in her voice betrayed her.

Sasuke frowned. They didn't have anything that they could use to make a contained fire pit to help warm her, but her face was becoming a lot paler, and the circles under her eyes were growing a lot darker. From over Sakura's head, Naruto was giving him a _look_ – one that had Sasuke scowling with mild discomfort, looking away from the blonde and the shivering woman beside him.

"_Sasuke-bastard_!" Naruto hissed angrily.

It was one thing to admit his feelings to the _idiot_ but it was another to actively _show_ his…_affections_.

"For Kami's sake!" Naruto sighed, rolling his eyes in exasperation before nudging Sakura with his right elbow, causing the kunoichi to yelp as she was forced against Sasuke, "Sasuke-teme, warm up Sakura-chan, will you? I'm going to see if I can make some soup – or Ramen – to help raise her temperature."

Sasuke scowled as he watched Naruto stand up, dust off his pants, and walked off to the part of the room where Souta, Akio, and Akemi were sitting, intent on checking the scattered packs for his stash of rations – simultaneously throwing a half-warning, half-encouraging, glare towards the Uchiha. Sakura quietly began to move away from his side but Sasuke let out a soft sigh, draping his left arm around her shoulders and pulling her shivering form closer towards him.

"You don't have to do this, Sasuke-kun–" She began but Sasuke shook his head and held her tighter, running his hand up and down her arm to cause warming friction.

"I want to, Sakura. Just…relax. Try to calm down. It's fine."

Slowly, Sakura nodded, sidling closer into Sasuke's left side – the Uchiha moving in response to help hold her better – and rested her forehead against his left shoulder, arms buried beneath Naruto's jacket and Sasuke's blanket, head bowed to help warm her neck.

"…Thank you, Sasuke-kun."

"Hn."

Sakura squeezed her eyes shut as she pressed into Sasuke's side. It was _here_, that she felt _safe_.

Even as the whispers in her head were fainter than when she first woke up; even when the shadows had stopped curving into disturbing patterns across the walls; even when the smell of death wasn't filling her nostrils as she buried her nose in the combined fabrics that belonged to her teammates; even as her skin crawled with freezing _cold_ that felt like icy fingers slowly trailing her skin.

Taking a deep, shuddering breath – safe within the hold of Sasuke – her head bent over her arms and effectively blocked her teammate's view of her. Sakura slowly peeled back the layers covering her, heart pounding in her chest with anxiety.

'…_You are ours now…'_

Sakura's hands trembled as she fingered the hem of her sleeves, teeth biting into her lower lip, eyes blinking rapidly to avoid the spilling of her fear-induced tears, blocking out the _damned_ voices that were echoing dimly in her head.

'…_Haruno Sakura…'_

She held her breath and slowly pulled back the left sleeve of her shirt, a single tear sliding down her cheek as she shifted slightly to allow the distant lantern's light to wash over her left wrist.

'…_You are OURS now…'_

Another tear fell as she let out a sniffling sob, emerald irises raking over her mottled skin – bruised in blackish-brown spots that decorated the inside of her wrist and up to the crook of her elbow the further she pulled up her sleeve. Sasuke's arm tightened around her with concern and she shoved the sleeve back over her arm, quickly looking up to connect red-rimmed green eyes – cheeks streaked with tears – with worried obsidian.

"Sakura?"

"It's nothing," Sakura assured, closing her eyes and wiping away the tears with Sasuke's blanket – not daring to risk moving her sleeve – and she gave a watery smile, "It's just catching up to me – what happened. It's just…catching up."

"Let it out, then," Sasuke encouraged, "But…you're safe now, Sakura. I'll protect you."

His suggestion and his affirmation and his promise made her heart constrict with sadness, fresh tears sliding anew, _especially_ when he reached forward to gently wipe them away. Because she _wasn't_ safe; _he_ wasn't safe from _her_; she _couldn't_ be protected.

In the darkness of the northwest stairwell, in the struggle of survival against the _Shadow_,Haruno Sakura had, undeniably, been _touched_.

* * *

Isamu looked at his reflection on the blade of his tantō, grey-blue eyes clouded with thought, his lips pulled into a grim line. With a small _snap_ he sheathed his weapon and strapped it to his belt, picking up the stack of ofudas that would serve as his protection in the horrors of the palace. He stepped into the middle of the room as he tightened the hitae-ate to his forehead and curiously let his gaze wander; Naruto was seated at Sakura's left, rifling through a pack and removing, what looked like, bags of rations and snacks. Sakura, herself, was curled into a bundle, shivering and pale, as her fatigued, green eyes silently watched Daisuke and Raiden discuss their plans a few feet away. Sasuke had a warming arm around the kunoichi, dark eyes also fixed on the pair of Bird ninja.

"How do you plan on opening the door?" Raiden questioned, crossing his arms over his chest as he studied Daisuke, "Force isn't an option – Sakura-san already tried _and_ she has chakra-enhanced strength in her possession."

"We're going to head to the second level," Daisuke responded as he strapped his kunai pouch to his waist and tied his brown hair into a tail at the base of his neck, "We'll find a room above the Throne Room and break in from above. If we're lucky, it'll be a room that we can clean out, and barricade ourselves inside, to avoid interruption."

"Do you have enough ofudas?" Raiden interrogated – clearly concerned about their new plan and making sure they covered all the bases and problems that their team could potentially encounter.

"We have enough," Dai assured, "And we'll only be resorting to using our weapons – no jutsu – while we have the _chakra armor _activated. It'll help with maintaining our concentration."

Raiden nodded with agreement, approving of the idea, "How about radios? And if you run into any kind of conflicts?"

"We're on the same frequency as before," Dai answered calmly, pointing at his ear where the radio device was settled, "And if there's any trouble at all, we'll head straight back here."

"And if you have no _way_ to get back here?" Raiden pressed seriously.

"We'll lock ourselves in a room and raise a barrier," Dai sighed, exasperation finally reaching his voice.

"I'll keep an eye on them," Naruto spoke up from the floor, and navy and coal eyes slid towards the Leaf shinobi who was wrestling with a sealed bag of chips, "I'll enter my Sennin Mode and keep track of where they are. If they get into any trouble, I'll send Sasuke-bastard after them, since he can use the _chakra armor_ too."

Sasuke could feel Sakura's grip on his arm tighten fractionally but he nodded his consent nevertheless, "Hn."

Raiden seemed to visibly relax with the extra reinforcement of safety, "Thank you."

"Let's get going already," Takeru gruffly urged from the other side of the room, close to the door; one hand gripped his hand-axe readily and the other held an ofuda, waiting to be used.

Isamu nodded his head but watched as Dai's gaze slid to Sakura, brows creased with concern as he observed her huddled form, navy irises filled with scrutiny.

"Sakura-san."

Emerald blinked twice before shifting upward to regard Dai. Under the lantern light Sakura looked even paler, the darkness and her eyes more ashen, and had her cheeks always been so thin and defined?

"Are you okay?" Daisuke asked and there was something in his tone of voice that indicated _more_ than her well-being, navy eyes searching her expression critically, as if a silent conversation was taking place.

"…I'm fine," She whispered in reply.

Daisuke didn't look convinced but he wasn't going to press, instead giving one last penetrating look towards Sakura, before nodding his head at Isamu to follow.

"Alright," Dai sighed, "But if you need anything, don't be afraid to tell _someone_ – _anyone_." The suggestion was casual but Sakura bit her bottom lip as she watched Dai and Isamu walk away, before burying her head back against Sasuke's left shoulder, suddenly immensely exhausted.

"I know," She murmured to herself in response.

"Here, Sakura-chan," Naruto interrupted from her thoughts, holding out a bag for her, "I couldn't find soup, but here're some chips. You should eat something."

* * *

Isamu examined the ofuda in his hand and exhaled long and slow as he attached it to his stomach. Beside him, Dai and Takeru did the same while Raiden waited by the door, ready to open it.

"So, who's going out there first?" Souta questioned from somewhere behind them.

"I will," Dai responded voluntarily, placing his hands together and glancing at his two comrades, "Ready?"

"Ready!" Isamu piped in, Takeru grunting simultaneously.

"Alright; _Fuuinjutsu: San Kekkai_."

Isamu winced as the uncomfortable feeling of numerous chakras bombarded his senses and he quickly reigned in on those sensations, controlling his own chakra at his core and keeping the others as a protective shield around him. Takeru swore, though his eyes were closed to help sustain his concentration. Dai blinked several times before walking forward, nodding his head towards Raiden who opened the door and allowed the Bird Chuunin through.

"Be _careful_."

The door closed shut behind Daisuke and he stared without fear at the _Corpses_ that began to migrate forward and surround him. There were so many. Men, women, young and old. They groaned and hissed, hands reaching forward to grab him – only to be stopped by the blue electricity of the ofuda barrier. The enemy contact caused the chakra of his ward to stutter, making it a little more difficult to control, but he managed. The _Corpses_ growled with protest, trying to break through but stepping back reflexively, a few feet, to escape the shocks.

"It's working!" Dai called out.

The door behind them opened and Isamu and Takeru warily stepped out. Their close proximity seemed to make their shield bigger and the _Corpses_ shied away with a unified groan, keeping a safe distance from the seals' energies. Takeru moved forward first and swung his hand-axe into the head of a male cadaver – who fell back with a moan.

"Alright, let's get going," He growled, leading the way towards the northeastern staircase down the left-side of the hall in order to get to the second level. The _Corpses_ parted with their slow progression, moving away from the high levels of chakra, the three shinobi trying their hardest to preserve the necessary meditation to stay _alive_.

They could do this. They _had_ to.

* * *

Sakura stared at the bag of chips sitting in front of her blankly. She blinked slowly because she was _losing_ her focus. Her head was a whirlwind of thoughts and the _voices_ she was hearing – they wouldn't _stop_, no matter how much she tried to silence them. Every movement was noticed by her and caused her to startle with…_paranoia_.

Was this what Yoshida Kaya was suffering from? Was this this the consequence of being _touched_? And Satsuma Yoshiro – the man from the Rain Border Village – was this the fear that he had been feeling when he had encountered her?

She looked up, staring at the outline of the _Creature_ straight across from her, lit by the dim luminescence of the moon. Sakura could feel as if the _Shadow_ was staring straight through her eyes and had no doubt that a feral grin curled her blood-stained lips.

'_Ours…'_ It seemed to whisper, distantly in her head.

Sakura shook her head, pulling the blanket around her tighter, "No…No…_No_."

"Sakura?"

Pink hair flew as her head snapped towards Sasuke, who watched her fidgety movements with concern. Sakura then shook her head upon his questioning stare, bowing her head and shifting her attentions towards Naruto – who sat silently in the middle of the room, meditating, and channeling his Sage Mode to keep track of Daisuke and his teammates.

She wondered if he could feel _her_…If he could feel something _wrong_ with her – or maybe the _natural energy_ completely surrounding them in the palace was suppressing any of her abnormalities.

Sakura wanted to examine herself. She wanted to pull back her sleeve and study the spots that decorated her arms, but with Sasuke watching over her, she didn't want to alarm him. A quick chakra scan and she could feel a slight irregularity in her network – that seemed to _grow_ the more time went on – but it was more of a _physical_ and _mental_ and _emotional_ difference that needed _tests_ to help figure out what was wrong and what could be done to fix it.

Her heart pounded. She didn't know what to _expect_ with this new development…

'…_Sakura…'_

The voices were starting up again and Sakura shut her eyes, hunching her shoulders forward as she rested her chin on her knees, breathing in and out, slow and deep, to control her fear and anxieties.

"_It's nothing,_" Sakura thought to help calm her; "_It's just tricks. There are no voices. I'm being paranoid. Nothing is _wrong_ with me_."

'…_Are you sure?'_

"Stop it," Sakura whispered against her knees, body shaking; "Just _stop_."

'…_I see you, Sakura…I _feel_ you…'_

A haunting chuckle filled her head and Sakura gasped, body growing hot with adrenaline.

The hair against her left ear shifted. She stiffened as she felt _breath_ against the lobe. And a _voice_ that sounded like it was right next to her, suddenly spoke.

'…_Do you feel me?'_

Sakura yelped, body jerking as she moved away from the voice, her right shoulder colliding into Sasuke's left arm, green eyes wide as they searched for the _thing_ that had been _right next to her_.

But nothing was there.

"Sakura?" Sasuke tried again, "What's wrong?"

Sakura twisted her head to look at him, searching his face to see that he did not understand her fear – was not aware that something had been right beside her – _talking to her_.

"…I…" She breathed shakily, before looking towards her left again; seizing up when she saw _fingers_, sliding along the floor, under the space of the door that was situated a few feet away from her. She moved further into Sasuke, eyes wide as a whimper broke from her mouth, watching as two hands had slowly slipped through the space and black hair was following after it, a feminine moan in her head growing louder and _louder_ and – _why wasn't the protective barrier working_?

"S-Sasuke," She turned her head to look pleadingly into Sasuke's confused obsidian irises, "Y-You can't see it; sh-she's–"

"See, _what_, Sakura?" He asked, at a loss as he looked past her head and then back to her, expression creased with puzzlement.

"It…" She turned her head back and saw the door empty of fingers and hair, heart pounding in her chest as she remembered so _vividly_, right there in front of her, "…It…"

"Sakura," The Uchiha repeated, a little more firmly, "_What's wrong_?"

"_If you need anything, don't be afraid to tell_ someone," Daisuke's voice rang clearly in her head, "Anyone."

As much as she wanted to tell Sasuke and Naruto what was wrong with her she couldn't help but fear the outcome. They were vastly overprotective of her and she was _afraid_ of what they would do, in a palace _filled_ with their enemy, once they realized her condition. But a logical – larger – part of her mind wanted to protect them. She didn't know what she was capable of now that she had been _touched_. If Kaya had been so self-destructive, had _hurt herself_, Sakura didn't know if she would _break down_ and end up hurting her _teammates_.

"No secrets…" Sakura murmured.

'…_Sakura…'_

Sakura felt her heart stop as something shifted _within_ her bundle of jacket and blanket, her body staying absolutely still. Her bottom lip quivered as she looked into Sasuke's eyes – whose expression had shifted into wariness with her continued strange behavior.

"S-Sasuke-kun…" She tried to move her arms but she felt the slide of hair against her skin when she knew – _she knew_ – her hair was tied back behind her neck.

'…_Sakura…'_ Cold fingers were scissoring languidly up her left arm, before a hand curled around the wrist that held her _curse_, _'Can you feel me?'_

"_NO_!" Sakura screamed, startling Sasuke as she jumped up, wrestling inside the cocoon of fabric around her, tripping and falling hard on the wooden floor that resounded in a loud and painful _THUD_ that broke Naruto's concentration and caused all heads to snap towards her in startle.

"Sakura-san?"

"Sakura-chan?"

"_NO_!" The Leaf kunoichi moaned, writhing in her spot on the floor as she tried to break free from her confines, the hand around her wrist tightening that she could swear the bone was about to _break_.

Sasuke was instantly at her side, hands grasping her shoulders in order to steady her thrashing, distantly hearing the _Shadow_ cackle darkly from behind the shoji, "Sakura!"

"_GET IT OFF ME_!" She screamed, "_LET IT OUT! STOP IT! STOP! IT'S…IT'S…_!"

Her arms finally emerged from the bindings of Naruto's jacket and Sasuke's blanket, lashing violently as if she were trying to push an invisible force off of her. Sasuke calmly grabbed her upper arms and pitched her forward against his chest, his heart physically aching as he listened to her terrified sobs. One sweeping glance across the room and he could see all eyes were curiously and cautiously transfixed on them. With a grunt, Sasuke adjusted his hold and easily picked Sakura up, slightly relieved to feel her clutch at him and continue to cry rather than throw punches at him in intense fear and panic.

With a short glance at Naruto, and after an understanding nod from the blonde, Sasuke walked off to an adjacent room, on the opposite end of the narrow collection of spaces, into a slightly darkened area that was barely touched by the lanterns' lights.

"I-Is Sakura-chan okay?" Souta asked as he took a stand beside Naruto's sitting form, chocolate eyes trailing Sasuke's movement as he gently set the woman on the floor, next to the farthest wall, slightly out of their viewing behind a broken shoji.

Naruto grinned, "Sasuke's got her. She's fine."

Souta bit his lip, "I don't know. That whole thing that just happened…It sounded – and _looked_ – a whole lot like Kaya-nee-chan."

Naruto, who had never personally met or witnessed Kaya – but _heard_ of her and her situation – felt his smile falter fractionally, "Well, whatever it is; we'll take care of it. We'll take care of her."

Souta only looked half-convinced, but nodded his head nonetheless, "Okay."

* * *

Once Sakura had been set on the floor she had curled into herself – back pressed to the wall, knees pulled up her chest, and her hands running through her pink hair – mussing it into disarray. Sasuke sat across from her, patient, watching as she shook her head, which was bowed forward, tears streaming down her face and dripping onto her raised knees.

"Sakura," Sasuke started firmly, "_What_ is going on?"

"…I'm going _crazy_," Sakura answered, voice heavy with sobs, "I can hear _voices;_ and I always feel _cold; _and I can smell _death; _and I _feel_ things; and I can't make it _stop_! Someone – _something_ – was in my blanket and _holding_ me and _breaking_ my arm and–" She broke off into another sob and pressed her forehead to her knees.

Sasuke didn't know what to say and, certainly, wasn't expecting her response; he sighed, "It's just _paranoia_, Sakura."

"It's the _same thing_!" The Leaf kunoichi shouted as she looked up to stare at him. Her eyes were red from tears and the streaks down her cheeks were startling against her pale skin, "_Crazy_; _Paranoia_ – it's the _same thing_, Sasuke! My head is just _pounding_ and I'm constantly feeling _anxious_! Something is _wrong_ with me…"

"Nothing is wrong with you, Sakura," Sasuke stated seriously and he absently reached out a hand to touch her left ankle, rubbing his thumb across the exposed skin in an effort to comfort her.

Instead, his statement caused her tears to flow anew, alarming the Uchiha as she squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to prevent them from falling, "Sasuke…"

He moved closer, reallocating that so that he was on Sakura's right side, his right hand coming up to brush away the pink hair in her face, "Tell me, Sakura."

Sakura swallowed, messily wiping away her tears as she shook her head, "…I'm afraid, Sasuke-kun. Something _is_ wrong with me."

"Stop saying that," Sasuke growled, "People feel fear – you're no exception."

"It's not that," She shook her head and stared down at her hands, which rested on her knees, "I don't know how much time I have left."

"You're starting to get annoying, Sakura," The Uchiha expressed impatiently, "_What_ is wrong? Tell me."

"You _saw_ what happened back there, Sasuke-kun," Sakura responded softly, "You _heard_ what I said. Who did that remind you of?"

Sasuke searched her face as he tried to mentally find the answer. Her screaming and fear and her _words_ did remind him of someone – and when he finally realized it, his dark eyes snapped across her body searchingly before returning to Sakura's face, the medical kunoichi staring at him with accepted sadness.

"No," Sasuke declared with denial, shaking his head, "_No_."

Sakura only nodded, closing her eyes as the tears fell again, slowly pulling up her left arm sleeve and revealing the splotches of brown and black that decorated her pale skin, "Yes, Sasuke-kun."

"How–?" He stopped his question, remembering the triumphant grin the _Creature_ had worn before they escaped the northwest stairwell.

"I don't have a lot of time," Sakura pressed out, voice shaky as she pulled the fabric over her skin, "My symptoms are already progressing a lot faster than I imagined. It could be days, or maybe even _hours_, until I reach the same level Kaya has reached – a level where I won't recognize _you_ and where I'll be useless in helping with the case."

Sasuke could only watch her. She had just revealed to him that she had been _touched_; bearing the marked _curse_ that would leave her perpetually paranoid, in a state of mind where she would be violent and unresponsive. She had just revealed to him news that made his heart _stop_ and, here she sat, speaking quickly and as efficiently as she could, telling him that _he_ was going to have to read her notes and retain her most recent thoughts so _he could take over for her when she finally fell to darkness_.

"–are many theories," Sakura spoke softly, "But the fact remains that all the combined evidence we obtained as separate groups leads to a shinobi – one who can use chakra with a probable high-level of control over it and–"

"You'll be _fine_," Sasuke interrupted, dark eyes shifting from the glare he gave her wrist towards Sakura's emerald irises, "Nothing's going to happen to you."

Why? Why was it, that anyone he ever cared about and loved, was always hurt or _cursed_ in some way? Why _her_?

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura frowned, holding back the amount of emotions that wanted to break free, "We need to be realistic. I'm hearing voices in my head _right now_. It's getting worse. We need to take advantage of the time I have left–"

"You have _plenty_ of time," Sasuke argued, "You're _fine_." He shook his head and brought a hand to his throbbing eyes, feeling his Sharingan react to his intense emotions and actively tried to keep his kekkei genkai subdued.

"I'm fighting it," Sakura assured as strongly as she could, "I'll _fight_ it, as _long_ as I possibly can."

But Sasuke couldn't _imagine_ it – could he even _handle_ it? – watching as Sakura descended into a state of insanity where she wouldn't even _recognize_ him. He couldn't think of the possibility of looking into Sakura's emerald irises and seeing the intelligent clarity fade away, into a darkness that left her in a wild and frenzied behavior while inflicting pain on her own body.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura pleaded, taking his hands into her own, "I need you to trust me right now. I need you to be thinking clearly. _Please_."

Again, Sasuke shook his head. His eyes remained sealed shut as he listened to Sakura shift, knocking her knees against his crossed shins, hands grasping his wrists gently as she pulled them from his face, and lifted his chin so they could look into each other's eyes.

"We'll figure this out," Sakura whispered, "_You_ can figure this out."

A sudden flinch twisted Sakura's expression, her hands releasing him so one could grasp her shaking wrist. But she was _trying_, straining against the voices in her head as she opened her eyes and mustered as strong a reassuring smile as she could muster.

"I'll fight it," Sakura smirked shakily, thinking back to the earlier afternoon and the promise he made to her before they parted ways to explore the Twisted Valley, "I'll _fight_ it, Sasuke-kun. For _you_."

And slowly, Sakura moved forward and placed a short, lingering kiss on Sasuke lips, shoulders shaking but her resolve to _show_ him, firm. Once her soft skin touched him, something triggered in Sasuke, his body surging forward just as she began to pull away, left hand sliding up her neck to the back of her head, drawing her closer until she was practically on his lap.

Maybe this moment wouldn't end; maybe everything could just fade away; maybe, when he opened his eyes, Sakura would be _fine_.

Her body shivered against his and Sasuke rubbed his right hand along her back in an effort to warm her. He had the sudden urge to feel her, to _show_ her everything he felt, and to not _lose_ whatever time he may have had left with her.

"_No_," He thought fiercely, "_She isn't going to die. We'll save her._"

Sakura slowly pulled away, closing her eyes to reign in on her emotions, leaning her forehead on the top of Sasuke's head as he rested the bridge of his nose against the crook of her neck, "…We're so close to solving this, Sasuke-kun. Don't give up."

Sasuke only rested his lips against her shoulder in response.

"And I won't forget you," Sakura laughed wetly, "I could _never_ forget you. Besides, I have time. _We_ have time."

"Sakura…" He whispered, "You can't…I just…I…" He sighed in frustration.

The Leaf kunoichi smiled as she ran a shaky hand through his soft, ebony locks, "I know, Sasuke-kun…" She turned her head so she could take in his smell, before lifting his chin and placing a kiss to his temple and then a chaste kiss to his lips, speaking against them with genuine care coloring her softened tone, "I know…I love you."

Sasuke breathed out heavily, his heart pounding with the tender confession, "…Thank you, Sakura."

Sakura smiled, forcing the voices in her mind away as she rested her head on his chest, listening to the strong beat of his heart, "Thank _you_, Sasuke-kun. For caring about me."

"Not just that," He rectified quietly, shaking his head, "It was _never_ just that; I don't _just care_. It's _more_ – _so much more; always more_." His admission made her smile, another few tears gliding down her face.

"And I'll save you," Sasuke swore, his arms tightening around her, "I promise."

'…_I'd like to see him try…'_

"I know you will, Sasuke-kun," She responded strongly, challenging the voice in her head, "I'm sure of it."

* * *

Isamu flinched as the bright, light blue shocks surrounded him, _Corpses_ groaning with anger and frustration as they pushed against his protective barrier before backing up again in a periodic cycle. Behind him, Takeru was waving his hand-axe to keep the front wave of enemies back while Daisuke guided them ahead, navy eyes searching the doorways that lined the walls before pointing a hand to one on the left side.

"Over there!"

"Hurry up!" Takeru shouted, wincing when a one-legged _Corpse_ fell into the ofuda-barrier around him, the impact causing the older shinobi to stumble, "I can't hold it much longer!"

"Just hold on!" Daisuke urged as he made it to the door he had gestured to, finding it locked and ramming his shoulder against it to force its opening.

"Let's go; let's go; _let's go_!"

Takeru and Isamu were facing the hoard, backs to Daisuke who grunted as he rammed his body into the door. The blonde could feel his control slipping on the seal and, since it had been more than five minutes since he activated it, he needed to use _Kai_ to dispel it or else the consequences could leave all his chakra depleted.

_SLAM_! _SLAM_! _SLAM_!

"Damn it, Daisuke!" Takeru yelled.

Isamu was at his limit and the _Corpses _were encroaching dangerously on them. With a muttered curse, he started to create a series of hand signs, removing a flare from his back pouch which effectively caught Takeru's attention.

"What are you doing?"

"We need to hold them back or else they'll get into the room too," Isamu replied, strained, lighting the flare in his hand.

"If you use a jutsu then your _chakra armor_…" Takeru trailed off in gruff warning – slightly surprising the Rain ninja.

"It's fine," Isamu responded lowly as he heard the door behind him begin to _crack_ and splinter; he inhaled long and deep, "_Katon: Rekka no Jutsu_!"

He brought the sizzling flare to his lips and blew, shifting his head as the ensuing stream of flames arced horizontally. The heated impact caused the approaching _Corpses_ to groan in agony, stumbling backwards from the aggressive assault. Isamu's chakra sputtered and his vision spotted as the chakra of his ofuda recoiled against his body and caused him to violently flinch, knees shakily keeping him upright.

"Dai!"

_CRACK_!

"We're in!"

Isamu felt a rough hand grab the back of his collar and forcefully pull him backwards, the grey iron of Takeru's hand-axe flashing in his peripheral vision. His feet shuffled backwards from the momentum and, before Isamu knew it, the door was slammed closed in front of him, Dai already plastering ofudas along the wood and its adjacent walls.

The hand on his collar released him and Isamu fell onto his rear, blearily looking up at Takeru who stepped over his sprawled legs, "Ow…"

"That was reckless, brat," Takeru grunted, looking around the darkened room and eyeing the crates stacked around them; he took the portable lantern attached to his belt and lifted it to provide better lighting.

"Thanks, Takeru-san," Isamu started hesitantly – albeit gratefully, "Like, really, thanks."

"Whatever," Takeru grunted, already moving to the middle of the room, examining the floor and stepping on it experimentally; the pressure eliciting a loud _creak_.

Dai had activated the ofudas, ensuring their protection within the space, and stepped up beside Takeru with a contemplative frown. Isamu slowly stood up, checking his chakra network for any abnormalities and sighing with relief when he found full control. Then he rubbed his rear to soothe the bruise that was forming there, joining his comrades in the middle of the room, one brow raised in expectance.

"Okay, what next, guys?"

"We break through the floor," Daisuke answered, already removing an axe that he borrowed from Souta's weapons' inventory scroll.

"Easy enough," Takeru grunted.

"Alright," Isamu nodded, removing his ronin double-bladed sword, readily lighting the steel with fire for extra auxiliary.

_BASH_…_BASH_…_BASH…BASH_

Isamu watched as Daisuke raised his axe and brought it harshly to the wooden floor, the timber breaking easily under the force. They were going to have to break through at least a few feet of extra reinforcement of the structural integrity. With a deep breath, Isamu joined in on the hacking, Takeru doing the same, with two hand-axes, across from him.

As their shadows painted their continued progress across the darkened walls Isamu couldn't help but think…

…What the _hell_ were they going to find?

* * *

**A/N:** Ohmigosh, is this some kind of new record for a chapter update? Well, I really wanted to get it out as soon as possible so we could get to Sakura's _condition_ since you guys already kind of knew about it in **Chapter Twenty-Eight** from the rewrite. But heeeeyyyy, a new chapter! I hope you enjoyed it. I really wanted to delve more into Sakura's personal paranoia before she actually revealed that she had been _touched_ to the others. So I feel **so much better about these chapters! **_**I hope you guys do too**_!

**AS FOR A LEMON**: Yeah, I don't think it's going to happen. I've read my fair share but I've never written it, and honestly, I don't think its flow appropriate at this point of time, for Sakura and Sasuke to do it in a dark corner of the room. I don't think I can make it happen…_MAYBE_ later on in the story, but no promises. I'm focusing on the horror and mystery of the story, not so much the romance – hence the influx these past few chapters – but a lemon doesn't seem _**right**_ at this point in time.

**AS FOR TEAM KAKASHI, SAI, AND HINATA** – You'll find out more about them (and _**KARIN**_)sometime in the next couple of chapters.

**SO** because of this _**early update**_, it might be a while until the next one – _perhaps 10-15 days_ – but I'll aim for _6-10 days_.

**PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!** I'm really curious how you guys are feeling about the last chapter and this new chapter. And for those of you who **HAVE BEEN REVIEWING! THANK YOU SO MUCH! YOU'RE AMAZING!** _**I LOVE YOU!**_

_******GOT QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS? PM or Review (but make sure you're logged in under a Username so I can promptly respond back!)**_

**Next Update:** _10-15 Days_

**Next Chapter:** _Chapter Thirty-One: Enemy_

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto and Company – only the Original Characters and Plot.

**Twitter:** DreamCreateLove

**Tumblr:** SincerelyLen

**Wordpress:** sincerelylen

**~Len**


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